Transportation bill being prepared

$450 billion in works

Steve Hawley, May 29, 09.

House leaders hope to have the $450 billion transportation reauthorization bill on President Obama’s desk by the end of September, according to TheHill.com. The previous transportation bill, the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) expires on September 30.

It is not uncommon for transportation bills such as SAFETEA-LU to be passed months after the expiration deadline, but House leaders hope to have new legislation in place before the deadline. Rep. James Oberstar of Minnesota, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, will unveil the bill sometime after the Memorial Day Recess, according to the article. The bill will be significantly larger than SAFETEA-LU, which cost $286 billion.

TheHill.com notes:

Democrats this year hope to put more emphasis in the upcoming bill on rail and other public modes of transportation than in past transit bills. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) earlier this month put forth legislation that seeks to reduce the miles driven by Americans and carbon emissions.

LaHood said the Obama administration has talked with Oberstar about a bill that will give people a chance to get around without their cars.

“We have to create opportunities for people that do want to use a bicycle or want to walk or want to get on a streetcar or want to ride a light rail,” LaHood told reporters last week at the National Press Club.

Congress will have to determine an appropriate revenue source, since gas tax revenues are declining as Americans drive less and buy more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The article states that getting the bill out on time may be a challenge, with both houses set to debate healthcare reform and climate change, and with a Supreme Court confirmation process looming in the Senate.

Transportation for America (T4America), an extensive nationwide organization dedicated to improving transportation options, is pushing for a greater emphasis on transit and pedestrian access in the upcoming transportation bill, as well as other alternative forms of transportation. On May 11, it unveiled its campaign platform, and the group has also released a blueprint for addressing transportation in the 21st century.

T4America campaign platform
The Route to Reform: Blueprint for a 21st-century federal transportation program