Transportation Extension Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1640
Sponsor: Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]
Introduced: 2003-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Air pollution control
Alaska
American Samoa
Animals
Appalachia
Authorization
Boats and boating
Bridges
Drug abuse
Drunk driving
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Environmental Protection
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to research
Federal aid to transportation
Fishing
Government Operations and Politics
Government statistics
Government trust funds
Guam
Higher education
Highway finance
Highway maintenance
Highway planning
Highway use tax
Indian lands
Infrastructure
Intermodal transportation
Interstate highway system
Labor and Employment
Marine safety
Marine terminals
Minorities
National parks
New Jersey
Northern Mariana Islands
Passenger ships
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Public service advertising
Puerto Rico
Railroad safety
Research grants
Road construction
Scenic byways
Science, Technology, Communications
Seat belts
Sports and Recreation
Tax evasion
Taxation
Traffic accidents and safety
Traffic congestion
Traffic engineering
Trails
Transportation research
Virgin Islands
Washington State
Wildlife refuges

Summary:
action_date: 2003-09-22
text: 
Transportation Extension Act of 2003 - Extends Federal highway, highway safety, and transit programs for five months, and authorizes appropriations, through February 29, 2004.
 
 Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) apportion funds made available for Federal-aid highway programs under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to each State according to the ratio of the State's FY 2003 obligation authority to the FY 2003 obligation authority for all States; and (2) ensure that each State is apportioned funds for the Interstate maintenance program, the National Highway System program, the bridge program, the surface transportation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system program, and the minimum guarantee. 
 
Sets forth provisions: (1) for reducing future apportionments, and for recovering funds not apportioned, under a law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program that is enacted after enactment of this Act; (2) prohibiting States from obligating any Federal-aid highway program funds after February 29, 2004, until the date of enactment of a multi-year law reauthorizing such program; and (3) directing the Secretary of Transportation to restore certain funds that a State transferred for a project that was ineligible to receive the funds except by operation of this Act.
 
Makes specified funds available from the Highway Trust Fund for administrative expenses of the Federal-aid highway program for FY 2004.
 
Amends the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to extend funding through February 29, 2004, for its National Outreach and Communications Program and to pay Coast Guard expenses for personnel and activities directly related to carrying out the National Recreational Boating Safety Program.

action_date: 2003-09-24
text: 
Transportation Extension Act of 2003 - Extends Federal surface transportation programs for five months, and authorizes appropriations, through February 29, 2004. 
 
(Sec. 2) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) apportion funds made available for Federal-aid highway programs under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA21) to each State according to the ratio of the State's total FY 2003 obligation authority to the FY 2003 obligation authority for all States; and (2) ensure that each State is apportioned an amount determined according to a specified formula for the Interstate maintenance program, the National Highway System program, the bridge program, the surface transportation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system program, and the minimum guarantee.
 
 Extends the off-system bridge set-aside through February 29, 2004.
 
Directs the Secretary to reduce the amount that would be apportioned, but for this Act, to a State for programs for FY 2004 under a law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program enacted after this Act's enactment by the amount that is apportioned to each State under this Act for each such program. Authorizes the Secretary to establish procedures under which certain funds apportioned for a program category for which funds are not authorized under such a law may be restored to the Federal-aid highway program.
 
Makes specified funds available from the Highway Trust Fund to carry out this Act for the period of October 1, 2003, through February 29, 2004, subject to a limitation on obligations for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs.
 
Sets forth specified obligation limitations. Prohibits a State from obligating any funds for a Federal-aid highway program project after February 29, 2004, until the enactment of a multi-year law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program. Directs that any obligation of an allocation of obligation authority under this section be considered to be an obligation for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs for FY 2004 for purposes of appropriations for the Department of Transportation for FY 2004.
 
(Sec. 3) Authorizes a State to transfer unobligated apportionments, with transferred funds subject to the provisions of the program to which the funds are transferred. Directs the Secretary, as soon as practicable after the enactment of a multi-year law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program enacted after this Act's enactment, to restore any funds that a State transferred for any project that was ineligible to receive the funds except by operation of this section to the program category from which the funds were transferred. Authorizes the Secretary to establish procedures under which funds transferred from a program category for which funds are not authorized may be restored to the Federal-aid highway program.
 
(Sec. 4) Makes specified funds available from the Highway Trust Fund for administrative expenses of the Federal-aid highway program for FY 2004, subject to a limitation on obligations for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs.
 
(Sec. 5) Extends the authorization of appropriations under TEA21 for: (1) Federal lands highways (Indian reservation roads, public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and refuge roads); (2) national corridor planning and development and coordinated border infrastructure programs; (3) construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities; (4) the national scenic byways program; (5) the value pricing pilot program; (6) highway use tax evasion projects; (7) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico highway program; (8) the transportation and community and system preservation pilot program; (9) transportation infrastructure finance and innovation; (10) surface transportation research; (11) the technology deployment program; (12) training and education; (13) the Bureau of Transportation Statistics; (14) Intermodal Transportation System standards, research, operational tests, development, and deployment; (15) university transportation research; (16) metropolitan planning; (17) the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; (18) Operation Lifesaver; (19) the bridge discretionary program; (20) interstate maintenance; (21) recreational trails administrative costs; (22) railway-highway crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors; (23) seat belt safety incentive grants; and (24) prevention of intoxicated driver incentive grants.
 
(Sec. 6) Amends the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to extend funding through February 29, 2004, for the National Outreach and Communications Program. Makes funding available to carry out qualified projects under the Clean Vessel Act of 1992 and the Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 287.
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Inhofe with amendments. With written report No. 108-154.
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Inhofe with amendments. With written report No. 108-154.
action_date: 2003-09-23
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2003-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2003-09-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S11756-11757)
action_date: 2003-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate