ISTEA REAUTHORIZATION: HIGHWAY RELATED LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS IN THE 105TH CONGRESS

Authorizing legislation for federal surface transportation programs - highway, highway safety, and transit - expires at the end of FY 1997. The existing federal framework was created by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (P.L. 102-240), better known as ISTEA. This report compares the major programmatic elements of significant legislative proposals to reauthorize the existing federal-aid highway program created by ISTEA. The discussion of each piece of legislation is presented in the order in which it was introduced in the 105th Congress. The report looks at the policy objectives and outcomes sought by each initiative. It does not examine safety and transit proposals. The reauthorization bills discussed in this report can be classified as falling into a couple of general policy frameworks. One of these takes the position that ISTEA, as enacted in 1991, is a good starting point for a discussion about how to run the federal-aid highway program in the future. In this view, ISTEA needs refinement, enhancement, and improvement, but major changes are unwarranted. The alternate view is that ISTEA is too bureaucratic and constraining. What the federal-aid program needs, in this view, is restructuring with more control and decision making pushed down to the state and local level.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • CRS Report for Congress.
• Corporate Authors:

  Congressional Research Service

  Library of Congress, 101 Independence Avenue, SE
  Resources, Science and Industry Division
  Washington, DC  United States  20540-7500
• Authors:
  • Fischer, J W
• Publication Date: 1997-5-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices;
• Pagination: 30 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Environmental protection; Federal aid; Federal assistance programs; Federal government; Government funding; Ground transportation; Highway planning; Legislation; Transportation
• Identifier Terms: Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991
• Uncontrolled Terms: Federal programs; Highway programs; Reauthorization
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General); I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00738752
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 97-516 E
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 23 1997 12:00AM