HEARING
ON THE REAUTHORIZATION OF TEA-21
JANUARY
24, 2002
Mr. Chairman, I join in welcoming Secretary
Mineta to the committee and look forward to a valuable exchange of ideas over
the next two years as we prepare to reauthorize our nation's highway and
transit programs.
It
was my privilege to be actively involved in the formulation of TEA-21 in 1997
and 1998 in my capacity as the subcommittee chairman. At that time, we saw a
great need in this nation to respond to many unmet transportation demands to
improve mobility in our rural communities, to relieve congestion in our urban
areas and to promote the efficient movement of American goods. We responded
with an unprecedented increase of 40 percent in highway funding by enacting
landmark budget provisions to free up the revenues in the Highway Trust Fund.
TEA-21's
revolutionary financing and formula reforms built upon the program reforms
of ISTEA. 1991. As we look to the next bill, how will we again
provide the vision and tools to ensure that our surface transportation network
-- highways, transit and rail -- will stimulate economic
growth?
Our
multi-year reauthorization bills have provided a unique opportunity to
transform our national transportation system.
Most
notably, President Eisenhower responded to the mobility needs with the vision
of the Interstate Highway System. In 1991, at the end of the construction of
the 40,000-mile Interstate System, President Bush responded with the National
Highway System to ensure that an efficient road network reached 95% of all
Americans.
Also
in ISTEA 1991, Senator Moynihan had a keen vision of a seamless national
transportation system that connected roads to transit and railroad stations to
airports.
In
1997, President Clinton supported the efforts of this committee under the leadership
of Chairman Chafee and our Ranking Member, Senator Baucus, to release funds
from the Highway Trust Fund.
The
budget reforms of TEA-21 were unprecedented. For the first time we fulfilled
President Eisenhower's commitment that taxes American motorists pay at the gas
pump will be used to build and upgrade our highways.
As
we begin today, in partnership with the Administration, to reauthorize TEA-21,
our overriding challenge is transportation gridlock.
Bold, new initiatives are needed and I hope that we
all will strive for the standard of excellence set forth by President
Eisenhower, President Bush, and Senators Moynihan and Chafee.