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Offices: NCSL Headquarters, 7700 East First Place, Denver, CO 80230 State-Federal Relations, 444 N. Capitol Street, NW, Suite 515, Washington, DC 20001
The Future of Federal
Transportation Funding?
On Nov. 21, U.S. Senate Environment and
Public Works (EPW) Committee chair
Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said she favors
moving from the per-gallon federal gas tax
to a tax that would be levied “upstream” at
the wholesale level—similar to the
approach some state legislatures took this
year (see p. 3)—as a model to raise more
revenue and stabilize the federal Highway
Trust Fund. Meanwhile, U.S.
Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.)
has introduced two bills focusing on the
future of transportation revenues. The
Update, Promote and Develop America’s
Transportation Essentials (UPDATE) Act
(H.R. 3636) would phase in a 15-cent
federal gas tax increase over three years
and tie the rate to inflation, which could
raise about $170 billion over 10 years.
Blumenauer’s other bill, the Road Usage
Fee Pilot Program Act of 2013 (H.R.
3638), would create a $30 million grant
program to fund pilot studies of privacy,
implementation, equity and other issues
related to mileage-based fees.
Federal News and Trends . 12
2014 Sessions ........................... 3
Pa. Funding Bill ...................... 3
Tenn. Multimodal Funds ....... 3
Bikes and Horses .................... 4
New NCSL Resources ............ 4
Other New Reports ................ 5
IN THIS ISSUE:
TRANSPORT REPORT
December 2013 Volume 4: Issue 9
News, Trends and Analysis Provided by NCSL’s Transportation Programs
FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION
NEWS AND TRENDS
Transit Benefits Due to Drop
Come Jan. 1, transit commuters will likely
see a decrease in their pre-tax
transportation benefits, while drivers may
get a slight increase. Commuters can now
set aside up to $245 a month to cover
either transit or parking costs through
plans managed by their employers, under
limits set by the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009. Unless
Congress acts, the transit benefit will fall
to $130 a month, while the parking benefit
will rise to $250. Both the House and
Senate have bills to avoid the significant
decrease in 2014, but the House has
already recessed for the year, making
immediate congressional action unlikely.
Familiar DOT Faces to Step Down
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) administrator
David Strickland has announced he will
step down after nearly four years in that
role. David Friedman, now deputy
administrator, will step in as acting
administrator. U.S. Deputy Secretary of
Transportation John Porcari also reported
Ben Husch
State-Federal Relations
NCSL-D.C.
202-624-7779
Jaime Rall
Transportation Program
NCSL-Denver
303-856-1417
NCSL CONTACTS:
2
that he will resign at the end of the month.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony
Foxx has asked Federal Highway
administrator Victor Mendez to take over as
acting deputy on Jan. 1. President Obama
would have to nominate a permanent
replacement, who would also need to be
approved by the Senate.
Airplane Mode Debate Continues
On Dec. 12, the Federal Communications
Commission voted to consider lifting the
longtime ban on in-flight cell phone calls,
based on technical feasibility and safety. In
response, Secretary Foxx announced that
the U.S. Department of Transportation
(U.S. DOT) will now consider whether
allowing such calls is fair to consumers.
U.S. House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee chair Bill Shuster
(R-Penn.) and ranking member Peter
DeFazio (D-Ore.) issued a joint statement
commending Secretary Foxx for reviewing
the issue. Bills also have been introduced
in the House and Senate to keep the ban.
Install that Seat Belt!
NHTSA has issued a final rule requiring
new motor coaches to be equipped with
seat belts for all passengers beginning in
late 2016. The rule was mandated by
Congress as part of the Moving Ahead for
Progress in the 21st Century Act (or MAP-
21). The rule will only apply to motor
coaches typically used for charter or
intercity service, not to those used for
public transit or school buses.
Getting Better Gas Mileage
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
announced on Dec. 12 that the average
fuel economy for model year 2012 vehicles
was at an all-time high of 23.6 mpg,
compared to 22.4 mpg in 2011.
Two More TIFIA Loans Awarded
The U.S. DOT awarded two Transportation
Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act
(TIFIA) loans in late November. On Nov.
20, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear
announced that the Downtown Crossing
portion of the Louisville-Southern Indiana
Ohio River Bridges project had been
approved for a $452 million TIFIA loan. The
Downtown Crossing has a total cost of
about $1.3 billion and is half of the larger,
$2.6 billion Ohio River Bridges project. On
Nov. 21, Secretary Foxx announced a $275
million loan to build new reversible lanes
along I-75 and I-575 in Atlanta, Ga., that
will relieve traffic congestion during
morning and evening rush hours. The loan
will go toward the $833.7 million total cost
of the project.
Draft Freight Network Designated
On Nov. 19, the U.S. DOT published the
initial designation of the 27,000 mile
highway Primary Freight Network, as
required under section 1115 of MAP-21.
The draft proposal makes clear that the
DOT is eager to receive comments that
propose changes to the initial network.
Comments are due by Jan. 17.
Happy
Holidays and
a Joyous 2014
to You and
Your Families
from the NCSL
Transportation
Programs!
Warm wishes, Melanie Condon, Ben Husch, Jaime Rall, Jim Reed, Doug Shinkle and Anne Teigen
3
In 2013 sessions, six states enacted bills likely to increase overall gas taxes. Virginia’s gas tax rate
will depend on whether Congress authorizes states to collect sales taxes from out-of-state retailers.
On Nov. 25, Pennsylvania
Governor Tom Corbett
signed a comprehensive
transportation funding
package into law. Among
other provisions, House Bill
1060 repeals the state’s 12
cents-per-gallon gas tax
altogether and phases in an
increase to the state’s
percentage-based Oil
Company Franchise Tax.
The multi-billion-dollar
legislation makes Pennsylvania the sixth
state this year—after Maryland,
Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia and
Wyoming—where the legislature enacted a
bill to increase overall state gas taxes.
Notably, except for Wyoming, all of these
states moved toward a gas tax that tracks
with the economy to some degree, either
by tying the rate to inflation or basing it on
the price of fuel. In contrast, no state
enacted a gas tax increase of any kind in
2010, 2011 or 2012. For details, see
NCSL’s Transportation Funding and
Finance Legislation Database.
People parking over ditches in
overwhelmed park-and-ride lots so they
can ride the bus to work? Folks in
motorized wheelchairs riding in the road
due to a lack of accessible sidewalks?
Traffic jams because there are no bus
turnouts for picking up passengers? These
were all real-life examples in Tennessee
communities that spurred the Tennessee
Department of Transportation to recently
create a new multimodal access fund to
improve conditions for transit users,
bicyclists and pedestrians. Administered
by the department’s Multimodal Division,
projects require only a 5 percent local
match with the rest coming from the state,
up to a total project cost of $1 million.
Eligible projects include sidewalks, park-
and-ride facilities, pedestrian crossing
improvements bus turnouts and shelters,
and bike facilities on state routes. The
legislature approved $30 million over three
years for the fund, with the first round of
applications due in late December.
TENN. SADDLES UP FOR MULTIMODAL FUNDS
PA. INCREASES OVERALL GAS TAXES;
SIXTH STATE TO DO SO IN 2013 SESSIONS
Did You Know?
Only four states—
Montana, Nevada,
North Dakota and
Texas—won't hold
legislative sessions
in 2014. So, while
only six state
legislatures are in
session as of late
December 2013,
legislatures in 46
states will be
convened at some
point in early 2014.
To give a sense of
how much activity
this is, State Net
estimates that more
than 87,000 bills will
be considered
across the states in
2014 alone! To gear
up for 2014
sessions, check out
NCSL's resources
for legislators and
legislative staff.
4
Requiring registration for bicyclists and
horse-drawn vehicles is yet another
transportation funding option legislatures
have been considering. In 2013, four
states considered charging some sort of
fee for bicycles. Within a larger funding
package, Washington proposed a fee of
$25 on any purchase of a new bicycle
over $500, but the provision was removed
in part due to push-back from owners of
small bicycle shops that would have been
Horse-drawn vehicle (and bikes) on Michigan’s Mackinac Island,
where automobiles have been banned since 1898. Photo: pkride.
disproportionately affected. Georgia,
Oregon and Vermont each also
considered bicycle fees and would have
required bicycle decals or license plates to
show registration. Revenue from Oregon
and Washington’s proposed fees was
slated to be dedicated to non-motorized
infrastructure. Hawaii is the only state that
now requires statewide bicycle
registration; although the original intent of
the registration was mainly to prevent
theft, the revenue from the $15 one-time
fee has helped pay for bicycle safety
courses at elementary schools and bike
infrastructure such as lanes and racks on
buses. As for horses, while a few states
allow municipalities to charge a
registration fee for horse-drawn vehicles,
Michigan debated a bill that would have
allowed a county to do so, at a rate of $50.
NCSL 2013 Fall Forum Resources
Check out presentations and other resources from sessions at the
NCSL Fall Forum, held from Dec. 4 – 6, 2013, in Washington, D.C.
State Legislatures Magazine
Read about red-light cameras, bicycle legislation and which state
really was “first in flight” in the December issue of NCSL’s magazine.
Cleared for Takeoff
Get behind-the-scenes with this NCSL blog post detailing our recent
exclusive tour of Reagan National Airport during NCSL’s Fall Forum.
NEW NCSL RESOURCES
LOOKING A GIFT HORSE (OR BIKE) IN THE MOUTH?
Did You Know?
NCSL holds two big
meetings each year
where state
legislators and staff
tackle pressing
policy issues and
develop the states'
agenda for NCSL's
state-federal
advocacy. At
NCSL's recent Fall
Forum in
Washington, D.C.,
hundreds of
policymakers from
across the states
attended policy
sessions and met
with their
congressional
delegations to
discuss priority
state-federal issues.
NCSL's next
meeting will be its
Legislative
Summit—the largest
bipartisan policy
conference of its
kind—from Aug. 19
to 22, 2014, in
Minneapolis.
5
2014 Annual Fuel Economy Guide
This U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of
Energy guide helps consumers identify and choose fuel-efficient vehicles.
National Survey Of Speeding Attitudes And Behaviors
A just-released National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey
estimates of driver behavior and attitudes toward speeding across the U.S.
Making First/Last Mile Connections to Transit
The National Center for Mobility Management looks at how car-sharing
and bike-sharing programs help transit users get to their final destinations.
Bumpy Roads Ahead
This TRIP report examines the condition of the nation’s major urban roads,
how to make them last, and how much addressing this issue would cost.
Distracted Driving and Perceptions of Hands-Free Technologies
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety considers the public’s current
perceptions of cognitive distraction and the hands-free debate.
A New Partnership: Rail Transit and Convention Growth A U.S. Travel Association and American Public Transportation Association
study finds that cities with airport-to-hotel rail transit attract more travelers.
Vehicle Sharing Among Human Service Providers in Minnesota
This University of Minnesota report identifies barriers to vehicle sharing
among human services providers in Minnesota and possible solutions.
Worst Drivers By State
CarInsuranceComparison.com assesses each state’s drivers based on
fatality rates, traffic safety violations, and drunk and careless driving.
How to Get the NCSL Transport Report: More than 2,000 federal, state, local and
private sector transportation stakeholders receive this newsletter each month.
If you'd like to get NCSL’s Transport Report in your inbox,
e-mail [email protected] with your contact details.
All our past issues are online at http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=21636.
NEW TRANSPORTATION REPORTS
Did You Know?
Every month,
there's so much
federal
transportation
news, we can't fit it
all in this
newsletter! For
more details on the
latest congressional
activities, federal
administration
updates and
announcements
from the U.S.
Department of
Transportation that
affect the states,
check out the new
monthly Federal
Transportation
Update from
NCSL's D.C. team.