TEA-21 Reauthorization Tops List of Congressional Priorities

Lawmakers are gearing up to tackle a number of key issues during the 108th Congress that will impact the construction industry.  Topping the list is reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), which expires on September 30, 2003. 

Once again, funding (or lack of it) is expected to be one of the most contentious issues in the TEA-21 reauthorization debate.  Industry executives and state officials are proposing that TEA-21’s successor include at least $50 to $60 billion for highways and $12 to $14 billion for transit programs. 

Several proposals to find new sources of funding for highway projects have been proposed in recent months, including a plan to raise the gas tax by 2 cents per year for the next six years, a plan advocated by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-AK).  Several industry groups support increasing the gas tax by 6 cents and indexing the fee to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to account for inflation. However several Congressional leaders have voiced concerns over raising the fee, and the Administration has specifically said it will not support any increase.

Funding issues aside, other key construction issues up for discussion include:

• Streamlining the environmental review process to accelerate the delivery of transportation projects. 
• Outsourcing and Privatization initiatives
• Alternative Delivery Systems (i.e. design-build)

Other legislative priorities expected to be addressed during the 108th Congress include reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Programs as well as water infrastructure financing legislation.