LTC 086-2005 Federal Transportation Reauthorization Legislations
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. ORfi-?OO"i
m
From:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. GonzaleZJ~
City Manager _ ()
FEDERAL T~ SPORTATION REAUTHORIZATION LEGISLATION
Date: March 24, 2005
To:
Subject:
Attached, please find correspondence from the City's Washington Lobbyists regarding the
status of the reauthorization of TEA 21, the multi-year authorizing bill for the nation's
transportation infrastructure.
I ncluded within the House version of the legislation are the following projects with the
corresponding funding recommendations.
$3.5 million for the Atlantic Corridor Greenway Network
$1 million for the West Avenue Bridge
Please contact me if you have any questions or need additional information.
JMG~kC
c: Executive Staff
Fred Beckmann, Public Works Director
Kevin Crowder, Economic Development Division Director
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}ORDENBURT
1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W.
Suite 400 East
Washington, DC 20007-5208
(202) 965-8100
Telecopier: (202) 965-8104
777 Brickell Avenue, Suite 500
Miami, FL 33131-2803
(305) 371-2600
Telecopier: (305) 372-9928
March 23, 2005
406 Fannington Avenue, Suite 2006
Farmington, CT 06032-1964
(860) 676-7715
Telecopier: (860) 676-7732
MEMORANDUM
TO:
HONORABLE DAVID DERMER, MAYOR
MEMBERS OF THE MIAMI BEACH CITY COMMISSION
THROUGH: JORGE GONZALEZ, CITY MANAGER
KEVIN CROWDER, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
FROM: MARILYN BERRY THOMPSON
F. MARION TURNER
SUBJECT: Congress Passes Transportation Reauthorization Legislation
- City Projects Included
Over the past two weeks, the Senate and the House of Representatives have each passed
their respective versions oflegislation to reauthorize TEA 21, the multi-year authorizing
bill for the nation's transportation infrastructure.
Included within the House version of the legislation were a number of city-requested
projects. Listings within the legislation included:
$3.5 million for the Atlantic Corridor Greenway Network; and
$1 million for the W est Avenue Bridge.
House Bill Highlights
The House legislation, H.R. 3, the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA
LV) reauthorizes the federal highway, public transportation, highway safety, and motor
carrier safety programs for six years, from fiscal years 2004 through 2009. The bill also
retains the specific policy features and programs of its predecessor, TEA 21.
The bill provides a total of $283.9 billion in guaranteed funding - a 42 percent increase
over the guaranteed funding for TEA 21 (1998-2003). Furthermore, this funding level
has been formally endorsed by the Administration, with the Department of
Jorden Burt IIp
http://www.jordenusa.com
Affiliated Counsel:
Jones & Blouch l.I.p. - Washington, D.C.
Fleming & Phillips IIp - San Francisco, CA
Transportation's updated reauthorization proposal, submitted with the fiscal year 2006
Budget, supporting a 6-year reauthorization at a level of$283.9 billion. The overall level
of transit funding is $52.3 billion a substantial increase over TEA 21 levels but certainly
less than the transit supporters had hoped for.
Finally, in a compromise to donor states, the bill also guarantees a 92.5% return of each
state's gas tax contributions. While less than the 95% return the donor states wanted, it
represents a 2% increase from TEA 21s 90.5% "minimum guarantee."
Senate Bill Highlights
At present the two of the four committees that have jurisdiction over yet un-numbered
Senate Bill have conducted markups. The Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee, which controls the highway title, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Committee, which oversees the transit title, have reported their sections, while the
Finance Committee (tax) and Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (safety
title), have yet to hold markup sessions.
While still technically incomplete, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient
Transportation Equity Act of2005 (SAFETEA), when completed, will provide $283.9
billion in guaranteed funding from FY 2004-2009. The Senate bill, however, only
provides $51.6 billion for transit.
Comparison Of Guaranteed Funding Totals By Agency (in millions)
AGENCY
Federal Highway Admin.
Federal Transit Admin.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin.
National Highway Traffic Safety Admin.
TEA 21
$163,000
$36,000
$1,300
$1,700
TEA LV
$225,500
$52,350
$2,920
$3,220
SAFE TEA
$227,000
$51,600
nla
nla
TOTAL
$202.000
$283.990
$283.990
(Projected)
Next Steps:
The immediate next steps are for the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee
(they have jurisdiction over the Highway Safety title) and Finance Committee (tax title)
to conduct markups of each respective section. Both committees have indicated they will
hold these markups in early April. Barring any setbacks in these committees, Senate
Majority Leader Bill Frist has tentatively scheduled floor time for the bill during last two
weeks of April.
Jorden Burt IIp
http://w\vw.jordenusa.com
Affiliated Counsel:
Jones & Blouch I.1.p. - Washington, D.C.
Fleming & Phillips lip - San Francisco, CA
Once the bill makes it to the floor, debate will be long and contentious. Many
Republican and Democratic Senators feel that the $284 billion overall funding level is
inadequate, and there are a number of amendments planned to increase that number. If
Senator Frist determines that the votes are there to pass one of these amendments, he may
decide to delay floor consideration to prevent an embarrassing situation for the
administration and the leadership, which has promised to keep the bill at the agreed upon
$284 billion level.
Once they pass a bill on the Senate floor, then the really difficult work of a House/Senate
Conference begins. This is when the real donor/donee state fight will begin, as well as a
fight over the House's desire to change the NEP A (environmental permitting) process to
make it easier for road projects to sidestep environmental roadblocks.
What all this means is that there are many steps remaining before this bill becomes law.
As a result, I am quietly hearing from staff involved in the process that they expect
another extension to be passed before Memorial Day that will probably take the existing
authority through Sept. 30th. The House and Senate will then take the summer and the
august recess to negotiate a final bill and wrap it up in September.
Senate projects could be added when the bill gets to the floor, but it's more likely that a
list will materialize sometime in the summer.
Jorden Burt Up
http://www.jordenusa.com
Affiliated Counsel:
Jones & Blouch 1.1.p. - Washington, D.C.
Fleming & Phillips lip - San Francisco, CA