By Ron Thaniel
March 15, 2004

As US MAYOR goes to press March 12, Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert (IL) has reported to President George Bush that the House will shortly move from committee a $275 billion six year surface transportation bill. According to Congressional Quarterly, "the President did not balk at the figure," said Hastert. Bush "didn't make a commitment" to the figure, Hastert said, but neither did he vow to veto it.

Steve Hansen, spokesman for House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Don Young of Alaska said that Chairman Young "has not agreed to any funding figure."

The $275 billion TEA-21 reauthorization is $100 billion less than the reauthorization bill introduced by the House transportation leaders in November and $43 billion less than the $318 billion reauthorization bill approved by the Senate last month.

Despite repeated warnings that the President would veto the bill, the Senate on February 12 passed their transportation reauthorization bill (S.1072) by a 71-26 vote. The final vote was nine more votes than the two-thirds needed to override the threatened veto. Following the vote, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, said, "If that legislation (S.1072) comes to his desk, the President will veto it."

At $275 billion or 7 percent above the Administration's $256 billion measure, the Speakers actions signal that the long awaited House markup may occur as soon as next week or the week of March 22. That is of course dependent on the progress transportation leaders make in the development of the $275 billion bill. The reauthorization discussion shifts to maintaining the transit to highway balance and what new programs, such as Projects of National Significance, would be eliminated or downsized. Also left to be resolved is how the bill will divide funds among the states.

House Ways and Means Committee Chair, Bill Thomas (CA), plans a second markup of a corporate tax bill to add about $16 billion to the Highway Trust Fund.

The Conference continues to urge the Congress to support the Senate approved funding level of $318 billion and act to ensure that the Senate $56.5 billion for transit programs and the $255 billion for highway programs be the floor for the forthcoming House markup.

The Conference of Mayors also urges the House to maintain their commitment to Projects of National Significance. Recognizing that it is difficult for localities and States to dedicate adequate resources to large'scale infrastructure projects addressing aging and congested infrastructure, the Conference successfully included $17 billion in the original House Transportation Committee bill for these projects and urge the House to maintain significant resources for this new program in the markup.

Please visit the Conference's homepage at usmayors.org to view the Senate $318 billion reauthorization bill and the Conference's reauthorization platform.