Newsroom

WASHINGTON – The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday released funding formula details of the Senate's Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003 (SAFETEA). U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the committee’s Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee, said that although the funding levels for Texas are an improvement over those of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), he was not yet satisfied, and would continue to fight for a more equitable distribution of the funds when the bill moves to the Senate floor. "The formula used to allocate the funds needs improvement, there’s no doubt about that” Cornyn said. “But it nonetheless represents a significant increase over the next six years—a more than $5 billion increase to Texas transportation projects. It is a much-needed, if insufficient boost to a state that for too long has been a ‘donor state,’ but we still have a long way to go.”Currently, Texas receives a 90.5 percent rate of return on gas tax funds sent to Washington. By 2009, that level will reach 95 percent, a minimum target set by Cornyn when he took office in December 2002. "As a member of the committee, I will be working closely with the chairman and ranking member during the reauthorization process to improve and further address the bill’s proposed funding distribution,” Cornyn said. “The target of a 95 percent return on the dollar that Texans send to Washington is now in sight, and with it, much-needed funds to help expand our state’s infrastructure. But we have a long way to go before Texans get a full return on their dollar.” in September, the committee voted to extend the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) for five months, enabling transportation projects across Texas and the nation to continue uninterrupted. Cornyn, a co-sponsor of the extension, joined his colleagues in unanimously passing the bill in the Senate, but called on Congress to take up the full six-year reauthorization of TEA-21 as soon as possible."Reauthorization of TEA-21 is critical to improving the infrastructure needed to ensure transportation safety and growth across our state,” Cornyn said. “Much remains to be done before TEA-21 is complete, and it is among my highest priorities to see it through.” the bill, originally set to expire on September 30, 2003, authorized $175 billion over six years for highway construction, maintenance, and highway safety, including substantial increases for the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP). An additional $41 billion is available for transit, for a total of $217.9 billion; nearly $36 billion annually for fiscal years 1998-2003. “The rapidly growing population of Texas is fast outstripping the growth of infrastructure. If we are to remain a leader in trade with other states and other nations, we will need to continue the modernization that TEA-21 provides,” Cornyn said. “However, this extension is consistent with the budget resolution we passed earlier this year, with a total contract authority of $14.8 billion over the five months of the extension for transportation programs.” Cornyn was in Midland on Monday to receive the first-ever Milemarker Award from MOTRAN (Midland Odessa Transportation) for sponsoring legislation that would designate La Entrada al Pacifico a high priority transportation corridor. He introduced legislation in October to designate the La Entrada al Pacifico Corridor as a “high priority” corridor on the National Highway System. In August, he hosted a committee field hearing in Brownsville to address critical transportation needs in order to best address those concerns when the transportation bill is brought to the full Senate. He also held roundtable discussions in Lubbock and Wichita Falls to discuss ways of improving transportation. Cornyn is co-chairman of Transportation Excellence for the 21st Century (TEX-21), a non-profit statewide coalition composed of mayors, city council members, county judges and others who focus on transportation issues. TEX-21 addresses key concerns regarding transportation, especially funding, safety, design standards, NAFTA trade corridors, national defense and homeland security. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and various members of the Texas Congressional delegation are also on the panel.TEA-21 was signed into law on June 9, 1998 as Public Law 105-178. The legislation authorizes federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 6-year period 1998-2003.