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| NEC › Issues › Transportation › Transportation Equity Act | ||
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TEA-21 REAUTHORIZATIONIn 1998, Congress passed the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), following a contentious debate that pitted region against region over the formula used to distribute transportation funds. TEA-21 expired on September 30, 2003. Finally, after an almost two-year delay and several extensions of the expired legislation, Congress passed a transportation reauthorization package in July of 2005. Once again, different states (especially so-called "donor" and "donee" states) and different regions were pitted against one another while the battle to determine the new funding formulas was waged. Complicating the formula battle was the fact that reaching agreement on an overall funding level for the bill was elusive. Finally, the Administration and House and Senate conferees agreed on an overall funding level of $286.4 billion in which every state will see a funding increase of at least 19 percent over what they received under TEA-21. The New England Council advocated for a robust six-year surface transportation
reauthorization package. While transportation infrastructure funding is important
for all of the United States, a number of factors made timely reauthorization
of TEA-21 critically important to the New England region. With its harsh
climate, the uniquely multi-modal nature of its transportation infrastructure,
and some of the oldest infrastructure in the country, New England is even
more dependent than other regions of the United States on receiving adequate
transportation funding. The Council urged Congress to craft a needs-based
bill to ensure that the New England region's priorities were protected
in the final bill ultimately passed by Congress. Education:
Advocacy: |
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