Federal Transportation Issues

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Surface Transportation Reauthorization

The Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011 (H.R. 2887) became law on Sept. 16. The law extends surface transportation programs through March 31, 2012, and federal aviation programs through Jan. 31, 2012, at current funding levels. This is the eighth short-term extension of the last long-term surface transportation bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), since it expired on Sept. 30, 2009.

 Key NCSL resources:

• Surface Transportation Authorization and the States (ongoing)
• NCSL, NGA, NACO, NLC Guiding Principles on Surface Transportation (April 2010)
• NCSL State-Federal Policy on Surface Transportation Federalism (expires 2012)

Aviation Reauthorization

 The Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011 (H.R. 2887) also extended federal aviation programs through Jan. 31, 2012, at current funding levels. This is the 22^nd short-term extension of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) since the last long-term reauthorization expired in Sept. 2007. The law includes funding for the controversial Essential Air Service program, which subsidizes air service to rural communities that would otherwise be unserved. More than 3,500 FAA employees were furloughed during a two-week partial shutdown in July and August, when the 20th extension of the law expired without a new extension in place.

Key NCSL resources:

• Delayed at the Gate (2011 article)
• Q and A with State Legislators: Weighing in on Aviation Policy (2011)
• NCSL State-Federal Policy on Aviation (expires 2012)

REAL ID

NCSL closely tracks and advocates before the federal government concerning REAL ID.  The “Real ID Act of 2005” establishes prescriptive standards for state issued driver’s licenses in order for them to be accepted for federal purposes (boarding a commercial aircraft and gaining access to federal buildings and nuclear power plants). 

The Department of Homeland Security estimated state implementation costs at $3.9 billion.  To date, Congress has provided only $221.4 million.

NCSL continues to urge Congress and the administration to collaboratively develop solutions that recognize national security but do not impede the sovereignty of state licenses.

Key NCSL resources:

• REAL ID overview page (ongoing)*
• Countdown to REAL ID (ongoing) (details federal grant awards for 2009, 2010 and 2011)
• NCSL State-Federal Policy on REAL ID (expires 2012)

NCSL State-Federal Transportation Policies

The NCSL Standing Committee on Transportation, with representation from all the states, has jurisdiction over the states' interests in transportation and develops policy positions on state-federal transportation issues that are used in lobbying Congress and the federal administration. 

 NCSL’s 2011-2012 policies for the jurisdiction of the Transportation Committee are:

• Aviation
• Hazardous Materials Transportation
• Motor Carrier Regulation
• Our Nation's Rail System
• Real ID
• Surface Transportation Federalism
• Waterways and Ports

Please contact Ben Husch, Jennifer Arguinzoni or Jaime Rall for more information.

Other Federal Issues

The NCSL Transportation Program engages with the full range of federal transportation issues that affect states. Other federal issues recently addressed by NCSL resources and research include the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, Build America Bonds, and livability and sustainability.

Key NCSL Resources:

• NCSL Livability 101 Pre-Conference Seminar (2010 archived recordings)
• NCSL Supports Build America Bonds Program (2010 letter)
• Cash Flow: State Procedures for Spending ARRA Highway Infrastructure Investment Funds (2010 chart)
• Where the Money Meets the Road (2009 article)
• State Implementation of ARRA Transportation Provisions: Web Resources (2009)

You can search all transportation documents on the site here.

Updated March 2012