Contact: Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Wednesday, November 12, 2003

WASHINGTON, DC Senator Kit Bond today announced that the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee approved a new six-year highway bill. As Chairman of EPW's Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, Bond is jointly responsible for the bill's re-authorization. In addition to improving our nation's infrastructure, Bond stressed that the highway bill dollars will create thousands of new jobs in Missouri and across the nation.

"An additional $1.4 billion over six years of $233 million per year in new federal dollars will be a real shot in the arm to Missouri's economy," said Bond. "These dollars will put more Missourians back to work while making our roads, bridges and highways safer for our families."

The new highway bill, the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003" (SAFETEA), builds upon previous re-authorizations, including the 1992 Intermodal Surface transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and the 1998 Transportation Equity Act or TEA-21, which is now scheduled to expire at the end of February.

For years Bond has fought to increase the return on the dollar that Missourians pay in Federal transportation taxes. In 1987 when Bond joined the Senate, Missourians received 76 cents on the dollar. Over the past two reauthorizations, Bond has ultimately been successful in increasing Missouri's share to $90.5 cents during the current bill, TEA-21. In the bill under consideration today, Missouri will receive a minimum guarantee of 95 cents on the dollar. This agreement that Bond is supporting will result in approximately $1.4 billion in new dollars designated for Missouri's transportation needs.

In addition to the $1.4 billion new dollars for Missouri, an extra $50 million is included in the bill for the proposed Mississippi River Bridge in St. Louis. This makes the bi-state bridge a federal priority, helping ease the burden on Missouri's competing transportation needs.

"There is no doubt that Missouri's roads and bridges are in a sad state. But with the new highway bill we will have the resources we need to make critical improvements," said Bond.

Senator Bond served Missouri twice as Governor and now continues his service to the state in his third term in the United States Senate.