AASHTO News, 29 June 2012
WASHINGTON — The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials today applauded Congress for coming to agreement on a new two-year, $105 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21).
“We commend the leadership of House Speaker Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Reid for encouraging agreement on a bipartisan bill that will bring us 27 months of much needed funding certainty and program stability,” said Kirk Steudle, Michigan Department of Transportation director and AASHTO president.
“This agreement is a real credit to Senators Boxer, Baucus, Inhofe, Vitter, Rockefeller, Hutchison, Johnson, and Shelby, and their counterparts in the House — Representatives Mica, Rahall, Camp, and Levin — who fought hard on behalf of our nation’s transportation system,” said John Horsley, AASHTO executive director. “These leaders showed real courage in moving the process forward to reach agreement when most people thought it was impossible to get there.”
With today’s vote, MAP-21 (H.R. 4348) reauthorizes the federal-aid highway, highway safety, and transit programs which were last authorized by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users passed in 2005. State transportation departments have been operating on nine short-term extensions of the surface transportation authorization since SAFETEA-LU expired September 30, 2009.
“Action taken by the House and Senate to approve a multiyear surface transportation bill ensures that the nation’s highway and transit programs will continue uninterrupted,” said Horsley. “Without this legislation, drastic cutbacks would have been necessary due to a revenue shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund. There are many things to like in this bill, including providing funding for surface transportation programs at current levels and extending user fees and the Highway Trust Fund through Fiscal Year 2016. We also are pleased that the legislation includes needed reforms to stretch taxpayer dollars with expanded innovative finance, improved efficiency with program consolidation, streamlined project delivery, and improved accountability with performance measures.”