Legislative Update

Senate Committees Approve TEA 21 Reauthorization Legislation

March 17, 2005

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Senate Banking Committee Action

On March 17, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs approved the transit title of the Senate's TEA 21 reauthorization bill by unanimous voice vote. The bill would authorize $51.6 billion in funding for transit for Fiscal Years (FY) 2004 through 2009. The transit title will be combined with the highway title, passed on March 16 by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) (see below), into a single reauthorization bill that would authorize a total of $283.9 billion for surface transportation through the period. Additional titles from the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will be added to the bill when it goes to the Senate floor. While the Senate's overall funding level for highways and transit is equal to the amount authorized by the House-passed Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users (TEA LU) reauthorization bill, TEA LU would authorize $52.3 billion for transit through FY 2009.

At the Banking Committee markup, many Senators from both sides of the aisle strongly supported additional funding for transit, citing $53.3 billion as an amount consistent with the highway/transit funding ratio in last year's $318 billion Senate-passed bill. Nonetheless, they agreed to withhold any amendments in that regard, recognizing that there would be a strong effort to "plus up" the transit and highway funding levels when the bill is taken up on the Senate floor.

The bill is essentially the same as last year's Senate-passed bill, although the charter bus provision has been deleted; that issue will be addressed in conference. See the table below for funding details.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Action

On March 16, the Senate EPW Committee reported out on a 17-1 vote the highway title of the Senate's TEA 21 reauthorization bill. The bill assumes an overall funding level of $283.9 billion through FY 2009. Debate over the legislation in committee focused on the rate of return to states for the highway program. Like the transit title, the bill is essentially the same as the bill passed in the Senate last year. EPW Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK) noted during the markup of the highway title that he supports increasing the funding level for both highways and transit above the $283.9 billion now in the bill.