Federal Highway & Transit Programs Due to Expire Next Week (AASHTO Journal)
Congress took no action this week to extend authorization of federal surface transportation programs, meaning only a week remains before highway and transit spending authority expires.
The last multiyear surface transportation authorization, a 2005 law known as “SAFETEA-LU,” expired Sept. 30. Congress has twice inserted provisions in continuing appropriations resolutions to temporarily extend existing laws while debate continues over a long-term reauthorization. The latest extension ends next Friday, Dec. 18.
Representatives approved Thursday the conference report for the Fiscal Year 2010 appropriations bill for the U.S. Department of Transportation, which was packaged with several other bills to move quickly through Congress by the Dec. 18 expiration of the continuing resolution. However, Jim Berard, a spokesman for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, confirmed Thursday that the conference report contains no extension of surface transportation authorization. So while the bill appropriates money for highway and transit programs during the remainder of FY 2010, the government will have no authority to spend it if further action is not taken by Dec. 18 to extend the authorization.
