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Senate Appropriations Approves Hwy./Transit Funding07-28-08 | News

Senate Appropriations Approves Hwy./Transit Funding

The FY 2009 transportation funding includes $10.2 billion for transit, a 7.7 percent increase above last year?EUR??,,????'???s allotment.

On July 11, 2008, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved FY 2009 transportation funding legislation, which fully funds the highway and transit programs at the SAFTEA-LU authorized levels. The committee included in the bill a provision to transfer $8.017 billion from general revenue to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) providing the revenue necessary to fully fund the programs. Without this transfer of funds the highway program would have to be cut by 34 percent.

The bill provides $41.2 billion for the highway program (the same amount as in FY 08) and $10.2 billion for transit (7.7 percent above the FY 08 level). Also included in the bill is funding for the Airport Improvement Program at $3.515 billion (the same amount as in FY 08).

The committee passed the measure on a voice vote, but the transportation appropriations bill still needs approval by the full Senate, where it could face opposition regarding the transfer of the $8 billion to the Highway Trust Fund. That amount (the $8.017 billion) is the amount that was taken from the Highway Trust Fund in 1998 when TEA-21 legislation was enacted.

The House Appropriation Transportation Subcommittee previously approved its version of the FY 2009 transportation funding measure that fully funds the highway and transit programs at the SAFTEA-LU authorized levels, however, that bill did not include a provision transferring funds to the HTF. Full committee markup of the bill in the House was scheduled for the week of July 7, but that meeting was postponed.