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| Publications | Issue List | Vote Analysis | Main Page | No. 64 | June 14, 2000 |
| S. 2720 -- Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill, FY 2001 |
Calendar No. 596
Reported June 13, 2000 as an original bill without amendment from the Senate Committee on Appropriations. No written report.
NOTEWORTHY
- By unanimous consent, at 2 p.m., the Senate will take up the House-passed transportation appropriation bill, H.R. 4775, and offer the text of the Senate bill as an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
- The transportation appropriation bill provides a total of $54.7 billion in new spending authority for the Department of Transportation and related agencies for fiscal year 2001. The total funding provided in the bill is $4.7 billion more than the FY 2000 enacted level, and is $900 million lower than the President's budget request.
- The discretionary money in the Senate's version is about $1.6 billion less than in the House-passed bill.
- The bill does not include a total of $1.3 billion in new user fees requested by the Clinton Administration. The Appropriations Committee notes that these proposed user fees have the effect of artificially reducing the budgetary impact of the President's budget request: that is, the budget assumes authorization and enactment of the new fees and includes the offsetting collections in the budget as though this money were "cash in hand."
- General provisions in the committee-reported bill would: (1) require states to adopt a .08 blood alcohol content law or face a partial loss of their highway funding beginning in FY 2004 (19 states currently have that standard); and (2) prohibit funds from being used to finalize the Administration's proposed "Hours of Service" rulemaking for commercial drivers.
- The House of Representatives passed its transportation funding bill, H.R. 4475, on May 19, 2000, by a vote of 395 to 13.
HIGHLIGHTSThe transportation appropriations bill provides a total budgetary resource level of $54.7 billion. This is $4.7 billion more than the fiscal year 2000 enacted funding level, but is $900 million less than the funding level represented by the Administration's request.
Program Funding Levels
- Office of the Secretary -- $75.7 million (FY 2000 enacted -- $76.1 million).
- Coast Guard -- $4.4 billion for operating expenses, capital acquisitions, research, retired pay, reserve training and boat safety (FY 2000 enacted -- $4.02 billion).
- Federal Aviation Administration --$12.4 billion (FY 2000 enacted -- $10 billion). Funds FAA operations ($6.35 billion); facilities and equipment ($2.66 billion); research ($183 million); and an Airport Improvement Program level of $3.2 billion. The facilities and equipment and airport capital program levels are guaranteed under the newly enacted Wendell Ford Aviation Improvement and Reform Act of 2000 (FAIR-21) -- these levels have been fully funded in the Senate appropriations bill.
- Federal Highway Administration -- $30.7 billion total program (FY 2000 enacted $28.8 billion). This program includes Federal-aid to highways, highway research, and administration. This level is a substantial increase above the FY 2000 level, consistent with the budgetary "firewalls" in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association -- $269 million total program (FY 2000 enacted $105 million). This newly created Department of Transportation agency administers the motor carrier safety grants program formerly housed within the Federal Highway Administration. The FY 2001 funding level meets the guaranteed authorization level, and is $10 million less than the level requested by the Administration.
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -- $395 million for NHTSA operations and research, and highway safety grants to states (FY 2000 enacted -- $368 million).
- Federal Railroad Administration -- $705 million for railroad safety and operations, research, high-speed rail programs, and Amtrak. Amtrak was fully funded at the administration's "glidepath" level of $521 million (total FY 2000 enacted -- $739.8 million).
- Federal Transit Administration -- $6.27 billion for formula grants, research, capital discretionary transit programs, "access to jobs" and administrative expenses. This is a substantial increase above the FY 2000 level, consistent with the budgetary "firewalls" in the TEA-21 (total FY 2000 enacted -- $5.8 billion).
- Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation -- $12.4 million (FY 2000 enacted -- $12 million).
- Research and Special Programs Administration -- $75.2 million for hazardous materials transportation safety programs, research, and pipeline safety programs (FY 2000 enacted -- $67.7 million).
- Office of Inspector General -- $49 million for transportation-related audits and investigations (FY 2000 enacted -- $44.8 million).
- Surface Transportation Board -- $18 million, with $1 million to be recovered by already established offsetting collections (FY 2000 enacted -- $15.3 million).
- Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board -- $4.8 million (FY 2000 enacted -- $4.6 million).
- National Transportation Safety Board -- $59 million (FY 2000 enacted -- $57 million).
SIGNIFICANT LEGISLATIVE PROVISIONS
- A provision prohibits funds from being used in Fiscal Year 2001 to finalize the Administration's proposed "Hours of Service" rulemaking for commercial drivers. Concerns with the proposed rulemaking have been raised by a wide range of safety advocates and by the trucking and bus industries, and the delayed implementation will allow the department to re-work the rule, and better take into consideration the many issues (including fatigue, congestion, and operational matters) that changing current hours of service regulations would raise.
- A provision requires states to adopt a .08 blood alcohol content law, and outlines highway funding sanctions beginning in Fiscal Year 2004 for states that are not in compliance.
ADMINISTRATION POSITIONAt press time, no official position on the Senate bill had been received.
POSSIBLE AMENDMENTSFeinstein-Bryan-Gorton. Sense of the Senate amendment to modify or lift the current moratorium on Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards.
Amendment regarding the .08 blood alcohol content provision.
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