U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee
Publications Issue List Vote Analysis Main Page
No. 15 July 18, 2001
S. 1178 -- Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill, FY 2002

Calendar No. 88

Reported July 13, 2001, as an original bill without amendment from the Senate Committee on Appropriations, by unanimous roll call vote. S. Rept. 107-38.

NOTEWORTHY

[NOTE: Based on NAFTA obligations, the Bush Administration "remains strongly opposed to any amendment that would require Mexican motor carrier applicants to undergo safety audits prior to being granted authority to operate beyond commercial zones on the U.S.-Mexico border." (From the June 25, 2001 Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 2299 as reported to the House)]

HIGHLIGHTS

Title I: Department of Transportation Program Funding Levels

The Senate bill provides for the following funding levels under the Department of Transportation:

Title II: Related Agencies

Title III: General Provisions

Section 343 bars the use of funds to review or process applications by Mexican motor carriers (i.e., trucks) for authority to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the U.S.-Mexico border until --

(1) the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration performs a full safety compliance review of the carrier consistent with U.S. federal regulations and gives the carrier a satisfactory rating, plus meets other requirements; and

(2) the DOT Inspector General certifies in writing that a number of administrative measures for conducting inspections is in place.

This section, submitted by Senator Patty Murray (Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee), is funded in the Committee bill in the amount of $103.2 million. Of this amount, $13.9 million is provided to the Federal Motor Safety Administration to hire 80 new truck safety inspectors and $18 million to the same agency for enhanced Motor Carrier Safety Grants for the border. Funds for the construction and improvement of Motor Carrier Safety Inspection facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border receive $71.3 million under the Federal Highway Administration, (See page 74 of the Committee Report under "Border Inspection Stations" ($56.3 million) and "State border safety inspection facilities, Texas," ($15 million).)

The Murray language is less restrictive than the provision adopted during House consideration. The House language reads:

"None of the funds in this Act may be used to process applications by Mexico-domiciled motor carriers for conditional or permanent authority to operate beyond the United States municipalities and commercial zones adjacent to the United States-Mexico border."

The House provision would effectively halt the Bush Administration's announced plans to comply with NAFTA obligations and allow Mexican trucks to operate throughout the United States beginning on January 1, 2002. The day before the House vote, the Statement of Administration Policy indicated President Bush's position as follows:

"The Administration remains strongly opposed to any amendment that would require Mexican motor carrier applicants to undergo safety audits prior to being granted authority to operate beyond commercial zones on the U.S.-Mexico border, as this would violate the NAFTA agreement and the President's strong commitment to open the U.S.-Mexico border to free and fair trade."

It is understood that the House-approved language, if included in the final bill, would draw a presidential veto. No specific Administration position on the Murray language in S. 1178 had been received by press time.

ADMINISTRATION POSITION

At press time, no official position on the Senate bill had been received. The Administration on June 25, 2001, issued a Statement of Administration Policy on the House-reported bill, itemizing its concerns on several matters, including the Mexican truck provision (see discussion, above).

POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS

Several amendments on the Mexican truck issue may be offered.

Dorgan -- Similar to his bill, S. 965, which prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from approving any application of a Mexico-domiciled motor carrier to transport cargo in foreign commerce across the U.S.-Mexico border until 30 days after the President certifies to Congress that: (1) such application shall not be approved unless such carrier demonstrates awareness of, and compliance with, U.S. requirements relating to drivers and motor carriers including safety, environmental, weight, insurance, and hazardous materials; (2) a full-time enforcement program with respect to such requirements, fully implementing certain recommendations, is in place, including the ability to enforce them at the U.S.-Mexico border and in each State; and (3) the cumulative impact of the approval of such application shall not endanger the health, safety, and welfare of U.S. citizens. Declares that the requirements of this Act shall not apply to an application with respect to operations by such carrier to provide service solely in a commercial zone along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Durbin -- Same language as the House-passed provision on Mexican trucks (see pp. 3-4 of this Notice)

McCain -- Relevant to Mexican trucks.

Bond -- Relevant to Mexican trucks.

Gramm -- Relevant to Mexican trucks.

Rockefeller -- Increase essential air service program by $13 million.

Boxer -- Related to out-of-perimeter slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Wyden -- Airline passenger bill of rights.

Attachment: Comparative Statement

Transportation Appropriations, FY 2002

(dollars, in thousands)

FY 01 FY 02 FY 02 Senate
ENACTED REQUEST Recommend
Title I - Department of Transportation
Office of the Secretary
Salaries and expenses: 63,245 69,500 67,349
Immediate Office of the Secretary (1,827) (1,989) (1,929)
Immediate Office of the Deputy Secretary (587) (638) (619)
Office of the General Counsel (9,972) (13,355) (14,075)
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (3,011) (3,153) (3,058)
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Aviation (7,289) (7,650) (7,421)
and International Affairs
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs (7,362) (7,728) (7,728)
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs (2,150) (2,282) (2,214)
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration (19,020) (20,262) (18,236)
Office of Public Affairs (1,674) (1,776) (1,723)
Executive Secretariat (1,181) (1,241) (1,204)
Board of Contract Appeals (496) (523) (507)
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (1,192) (1,251) (1,213)
Office of Intelligence and Security (1,262) (1,321) (1,281)
Office of the Chief Information Officer (6,222) (6,331) (6,141)
Office of Intermodalism
Subtotal (63,245) (69,500) (67,349)
Office of civil rights 8,140 8,500 8,500
Transportation planning, research, and development 11,000 5,193 15,592
Transportation Administrative Service Center (126,887) (125,323) (125,323)
Minority business resource center program 1,900 900 900
(Limitation on guaranteed loans) (13,775) (18,367) (18,367)
Minority business outreach 3,000 3,000 3,000
Total, Office of the Secretary 87,285 87,093 95,341
ATB rescission -192

----------

----------

Net total

 87,093 87,093 95,341



Coast Guard
Operating expenses 2,851,000 3,042,588 2,732,588
Defense function 341,000 340,250 695,000
Acquisition, construction, and improvements:
Vessels 156,450 79,390 79,640
Aircraft 37,650 500 10,500
Other equipment 60,113 95,471 99,921
Shore facilities & aids to navigation facilities 63,336 79,262 88,862
Personnel and related support 55,151 66,700 65,200
Integrated Deepwater Systems 42,300 338,000 325,200
Subtotal, A C & I appropriations 415,000 659,323 669,323
Environmental compliance and restoration 16,700 16,927 16,927
Alteration of bridges 15,500 15,466 15,466
Retired pay 778,000 876,346 876,346
Reserve training 80,375 83,194 83,194
Research, development, test, and evaluation 21,320 21,722 21,722
Total, Coast Guard 4,518,895 5,055,816 5,110,566
ATB rescissions -8,232

----------

-8,700

Net total

 4,510,663 5,055,816 5,101,866
Federal Aviation Administration
Operations (Airport and Airway Trust Fund) 6,544,235 6,886,000 6,916,000
Facilities & equipment (Airport & Airway Trust Fund) 2,656,765 2,914,000 2,914,000
Rescission -5,845

----------

----------

Research, engineering, and development (Airport

187,000 187,781 195,808
and Airway Trust Fund)
Grants-in-aid for airports (Airport and Airway Trust Fund):
(Liquidation of contract authorization) (3,200,000) (1,800,000) (1,800,000)
(Limitation on obligations) (3,200,000) (3,300,000) (3,300,000)
Rescission of contract authority -579,000 -331,000 -301,720
Total, Federal Aviation Administration 9,388,000 9,987,7871 10,045,808
(Limitations on obligations) (3,200,000) (3,300,000) (3,300,000)
Total budget resources

(12,588,000)

(13,287,781)

(13,345,808)

ATB rescissions

(-7,040)

----------

----------

Rescissions

 -579,000 -331,000 -301,720
Net total (11,981,303 (12,956,781) (13,044,088)
Federal Highway Administration
Limitation on administrative expenses (295,119) (317,693) (316,521)
Federal-aid highways (Highway Trust Fund):
(Limitation on obligations) (26,603,806) (27,042,994) (27,400,000)
(Revenue aligned budget authority) (RABA) (3,058,000) (4,341,700) (4,326,700)
(RABA transfer under Title III)
(Adjustment)
Subtotal, limitation on obligations (29,661,806) (31,563,157) (31,919,103)
(Exempt obligations) (1,069,000) (955,000) (955,000)
(Liquidation of contract authorization) (28,000,000) (30,000,000) (30,000,000)
Total, Federal Highway Administration 279,963

----------

350,000

(Limitations on obligations) (29,661,806) (31,563,157) (31,919,103)
(Exempt obligations) (1,069,000) (955,000) (955,000)
Total budgetary resources (31,730,769) (32,518,157) (33,224,103)
ATB rescissions (-65,256)

----------

-9,231

Net total (31,663,280) (32,518,157) (33,209,122)
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Motor carrier safety (limitation on administrative expenses) (92,194) (139,007) (105,000)
National motor carrier safety program (Highway Trust Fund):
(Liquidation of contract authorization) (177,000) (204,837) (204,837)
(Limitation on obligations) (177,000) (182,000) (183,059)
(RABA transfer under Title III)
Subtotal, limitation on obligations (177,000) (204,837) (205,896)
Total, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (269,194) (343,844) (310,896)
(Limitations on obligations)
Total budgetary resources (269,194) (343,844) (310,896)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Operations and research 116,876 122,000 132,000
Operations and research (highway trust fund):
(Limitation on obligations) (72,000) (72,000) (72,000)
(RABA transfer under Title III)
(Liquidation of contract authorization) (72,000) (72,000) (72,000)
National Driver Register (highway trust fund) 2,000 2,000 2,000
Subtotal, Operations and research (190,876) (196,000) (204,484)
Highway traffic safety grants (Highway Trust Fund):
(Liquidation of contract authorization) (213,000) (223,000) (223,000)
(Limitation on obligations):
Highway safety programs (Sec. 402) (155,000) (160,000) (160,000)
Occupant protection incentive grants (Sec. 405) (13,000) (15,000) (15,000)
Alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures grants (Sec. 410) (36,000) (38,000) (38,000)
State Highway safety data grants (Sec. 411) (9,000) (10,000) (10,000)
Total, National Highway Traffic Safety Admin 118,876 124,000 134,000
(Limitations on obligations) (285,000) (295,000) (295,000)
Total budgetary resources (403,876) (419,000) (429,000)
Federal Railroad Administration
Safety and operations 101,717 111,357 111,357
Offsetting collections (user fees)

----------

-41,000

----------

Railroad research and development

 25,325 28,325 30,325
Offsetting collections (user fees)
Rhode Island Rail Development 17,000

----------

----------

Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment project (FY 2001, 2002, 2003)

 20,000 20,000 20,000



Next generation high-speed rail 25,100

25,100

40,000

Alaska Railroad rehabilitation

20,000

----------

20,000

West Virginia Rail Development

15,000

----------

----------

Capital grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation

521,476

 521,476 521,476
Expanded intercity rail passenger service fund (RABA transfer under Title III):
(Liquidation of contract authorization)
(Limitation on obligations)
Total, Federal Railroad Administration 743,978 651,258 755,158
(Limitations on obligations)
Total budgetary resources
ATB rescissions -1,640

----------

----------

Net total

 742,338 651,258 755,158
Federal Transit Administration
Administrative expenses 12,800 13,400 13,400
Admin expenses (Highway Trust Fund, Mass Transit Account) (51,200) (53,600) (53,600)
(Limitation on obligations)
Subtotal, Administrative expenses (63,972) (67,000) (67,000)
Formula grants 669,000 718,400 718,400
Formula grants (Highway Trust Fund): (2,676,000) (2,873,600) (2,873,600)
(Limitation on obligations)
Subtotal, Formula grants (3,343,640) (3,592,000) (3,592,000)
University transportation research 1,200 1,200 1,200
University transportation research (Highway Trust
Fund, Mass Transit Acct) (limitation on obligations) (4,800) (4,800) (4,800)
Subtotal, University transportation research (6,000) (6,000) (6,000)
Transit planning and research (general fund) 22,200 23,000 23,000
Transit planning and research (Highway Trust Fund, Mass Transit Account):
(Limitation on obligations) (87,800) (93,000) (93,000)
Subtotal, Transit planning and research (110,000) (116,000) (116,000)
Rural transportation assistance (5,250) (5,250) (5,250)
National transit institute (4,000) (4,000) (4,000)
Transit cooperative research (8,250) (8,250) (8,250)
Metropolitan planning (52,114) (55,422) (55,422)
State planning and research (10,886) (11,578) (11,578)
National planning and research (29,500) (31,500) (31,500)
Subtotal (110,000) (116,000) (116,000)
Trust fund share of expenses (Highway Trust Fund) (5,016,600) (5,397,800) (5,397,800)
(liquidation of contract authorization)
Capital investment grants (general fund) 529,200 568,200 568,200
Capital investment grants (Highway Trust Fund, Mass
Transit Account) (limitation on obligations) (2,116,800) (2,272,800) (2,272,800)
Subtotal, Capital investment grants (2,646,000) (2,841,000) (2,841,000)
Fixed guideway modernization (1,058,400) (1,136,400) (1,136,400)(
Buses and bus-related facilities (529,200) (568,200) (568,200)
New starts (1,058,400) (1,136,400) (1,136,400)
Subtotal (2646,000) (2,841,000) (2,841,000)
Discretionary grants (Highway Trust Fund, Mass Transit (350,000)

----------

----------

Account) (liquidation of contract authorization)
Job access and reverse commute grants (general fund) 20,000 25,000 25,000
(Highway Trust Fund, Mass Transit Account)
(limitation on obligations) (80,000) (100,00) (100,000)
(RABA transfer under Title III)
Subtotal, Job access and reverse commute grants (99,956) (125,000) (125,000)
Total, Federal Transit Administration 1,254,400 1,349,200 1,449,200
(Limitations on obligations) (5,016,600) (5,397,800) (5,397,800)
Total budgetary resources (6,271,000) (6,747,000) (6,847,000)
ATB rescissions

(-14,382)

----------

----------

Net total

 (6,253,863) (6,747,000) (6,847,000)
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Operations and maintenance (Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund) 13,004 13,345 13,345
ATB rescission -29

----------

----------

Mandatory proposal
Net Total 12,975 13,345 13,345





Research and Special Programs Administration
Research and special programs:
Hazardous materials safety 18,750 21,217 21,217
Emergency transportation 1,831 1,897 1,897
Research and technology 4,816 4,760 4,760
Program and administrative support 10,976 14,059 14,059
Subtotal, research and special programs 36,373 41,993 41,993
Offsetting collections (user fees)

----------

-12,000

----------

Pipeline safety:
Pipeline Safety Fund 36,556 46,286 47,278
Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund 7,488 7,472 11,472
Pipeline safety reserve (3,000)

----------

----------

Subtotal, Pipeline safety program (incl reserve)

 (47,044) (53,758) (58,750)
Emergency preparedness grants:
Emergency preparedness fund 200 200 200
Limitation on emergency preparedness fund (14,300) (14,300) (14,300)
Total, Research and Special Programs Admin 80,617 83,951 100,943
Office of Inspector General
Salaries and expenses 48,450 50,614 50,614
ATB rescission

-106

----------

----------

Surface Transportation Board
Salaries and expenses 17,954 18,457 18,457
Offsetting collections -900 -950 -950
ATB rescission -37

----------

----------

General Provisions
Transportation Administrative Service Center reduction
Amtrak Reform Council 750 785 420
FAA: Aviation insurance revolving fund
Coast Guard general provision (sec. 343)
Net total, title I, Department of Transportation 18,426,918 17,094,110 17,810,278
(Limitations on obligations) (38,432,600) (40,899,801) (41,222,799)
(Exempt obligations) (1,069,000) (955,000) (955,000)
Net total budgetary resources (57,480,622) (58,948,911) (59,988,077)
Title II Related Agencies

Total, title II, Related Agencies

67,587

69,495

75,015
Grand Total 18,494,505 17,163,605 17,885,293
Net total budgetary resources (57,908,209) (59,018,406) (60,063,092)

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