House Passes TEA LU Bill!
March 11, 2005
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On Thursday, March 10, the House passed the Transportation
Equity Act, a Legacy for Users (TEA-LU; H.R. 3) by an overwhelming vote of
417-9. The bill, which reauthorizes federal transit and highway programs,
passed the House with broad bipartisan support.
The bill authorizes $52.3 billion in guaranteed funding for the federal transit
program through Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. It authorizes a total of $283.9 billion
over a six-year period for transit and highway programs. As passed by the
House, the measure includes the transit provisions described in the Legislative
Updates of February 18 and March 3. Both reports are available on the Government
Affairs Section of APTA's web site at www.apta.com.
During consideration of the bill on March 9 and 10, a number of transit-related
amendments were offered. By a vote of 265-155, the House rejected an amendment
offered by Rep. Mark Kennedy (R-MN) that would have restricted use of tolling
revenues to new highway construction and prohibited the use of such revenue
for public transportation investment. The House also approved by voice vote
a manager's amendment offered by Chairman Don Young (R-AK), which included
a provision to prohibit state laws requiring buses to be purchased through
in-state dealers in cases where vehicles are purchased with Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) grants. The House also approved an amendment by a vote
of 228-197 offered by Rep. Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA). The Pitts amendment would
permit transit agencies which moved from small urban areas to larger urban
areas in the 2000 census to use a percentage of their 2002 apportionment for
operating purposes. It would allow such agencies to use 50 percent of their
2002 apportionment for operating in FY 2005-2007, and 25 percent of the 2002
apportionment for such purposes in FY 2008 and FY 2009.
APTA appreciates the leadership of Chairman Don Young (R-AK) and ranking
member James L. Oberstar (DFL-MN) of the Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee in shepherding the measure through the House of Representatives.
Please be sure to thank all of your Representatives who voted for passage
of this important legislation that invests in America's transportation infrastructure.
Action now turns to the Senate, where authorizing committee leaders are working
on putting together bills that can be brought to the Senate Floor. Leaders
of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and the Environment
and Public Works Committee have said they would like to mark up legislation
as early as next week, before Congress breaks for the Easter recess that runs
through April 4.
For more information, please contact Rob Healy of APTA's Government Affairs
Department at (202) 496-4811 or email rhealy@apta.com.
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