The transportation Equity Act for the 21st century

Headnote

PRESIDENT CLINTON HAS SIGNED TEA 21. INCLUDED HERE IS A REVIEW OF SOME OF THE MAJOR POINTS OF THE BILL AND AN OVERVIEW OF NOW ITE'S "RECOMMENDATIONS

FOR ISTEA 2N FARED IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS.

THE TRANSPORTATION EQUITY Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21) is the most massive transportation bill in the history of the United States. Over the next six years TEA 21 will provide some $215 billion in spending authority for highway and transit investments. Of this amount $173 billion is directed to highways and $41.4 billion for transit. The bill guarantees spending of at least $167 billion for highways and $36.25 billion for transit over the next six years, with the remaining funding subject to Congress' annual appropriations process. The guaranteed spending is indexed to receipts to the highway trust fund and could actually increase if actual tax receipts exceed current projections. In comparison, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) authorized about $155 billion for transportation over the last six years. For donor states TEA 21 provides a minimum 90.5 percent return on funds they contribute to the highway trust fund. HIGHWAYS Funding for TEA 21's core highway programs are: $58.8 billion for the Interstate Maintenance/National Highway System, $37.9 billion for the Surface Transportation Program, $21.9 billion for the Bridge Program, $9.1 billion for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program and $16.5 billion for the minimum Guarantee Program. TEA 21 moves the Appalachian Highway Development Program into the highway trust fund and provides a total of $2.217 billion. TEA 21 continues current procedure regarding the suballocation of surface transportation program (STP) funds to urbanized areas. The legislation also requires states to comply with obligation rates over two equal three-year periods, as opposed to the existing...