Senate Takes
Up Reauthorization Bill!
April 28, 2005
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in Adobe PDF format)
The Senate on April 26 began consideration
of H.R. 3, the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation
Equity Act of 2005", which would reauthorize federal transit and highway
programs through Fiscal Year 2009. (The text of the Senate bill was offered as
a substitute to the House TEA 21 reauthorization bill and thus is now identified
as H.R. 3.) The bill would authorize $283.9 billion in funding, including $51.6
billion for transit over six years. Debate on the bill has been slowed during
the week due to debate on the Senate floor over judicial nominations, supplemental
appropriations and the FY 2006 Budget Resolution. As anticipated, on Tuesday,
April 26, the Administration threatened to veto any bill that sets funding above
the Administration's proposed level of $283.9 billion. On Friday, April 29, the
Senate will recess for one week and return May 9, to resume consideration of H.R.
3.
When the Senate resumes consideration of H.R. 3 the
week of May 9, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member
Baucus (D-MT) are expected to offer an amendment to increase overall funding for
the bill to an amount between the current $283.9 billion and $300 billion - all
"paid for" with offsets so that the deficit would be unaffected. Senate
Banking Committee Chairman Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Sarbanes (D-MD) continue
to work with Senators Grassley and Baucus to increase transit's share of total
highway and transit funding. In those efforts they are guided by transit's share
of total funding in the bill the Senate passed last year by a vote of 76-21 which
was approximately 18.8 percent.
As the Senate considers
this and other amendments during the week of May 9, it is imperative that the
bill be passed quickly by the Senate since the current TEA 21 extension - the
sixth! - expires May 31. After the Senate passes its bill, a conference committee
must work out the many differences between House and Senate reauthorization bills.
ACTION
ALERT! Contact your Senators at home during the recess or by using the U.S.
Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Urge them to:
Support the Shelby-Sarbanes
effort on the pending Grassley-Baucus amendment to set transit's share of total
highway & transit funding no lower than 18.8 percent, the ratio in the bill
that passed the Senate last year by a vote of 76-21. Support quick final
passage of H.R. 3 in the Senate so that a House-Senate conference committee can
complete its work by May 31. Time is running out. The solution is enactment of
a long-term, multi-year bill - not more short-term extensions! |
For more information on reauthorization, please contact Rob Healy
in APTA's Government Affairs Department at (202) 496-4811 or email rhealy@apta.com.
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