REMARKS
FOR
THE
HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY
OF TRANSPORTATION
BEFORE
THE
SUBCOMMITTEE
ON HIGHWAYS,
TRANSIT
AND PIPELINES
COMMITTEE
ON TRANSPORTATION
AND
INFRASTRUCTURE
UNITED
STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
REAUTHORIZATION
OF
MAY
15, 2003
2:00
PM
Chairman
Petri, Congressman Lipinski, Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the Administration’s
proposal to reauthorize our surface transportation programs.
As
you know, I am happy to report that yesterday I sent to Congress the
Administration’s reauthorization proposal, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and
Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003, or “SAFETEA.”
This
six-year, $247 billion proposal is the largest surface and public transportation
commitment in American history. It
builds on the successes of the landmark legislation, ISTEA, which I co-authored
during my days on the other side of this microphone, and its predecessor,
TEA-21.
I
believe this reauthorization proposal serves as a true blueprint for investment
in our future, supplying the funds and the framework for investments needed to
maintain and grow our vital transportation infrastructure.
In
addition, our proposed legislation places a central focus on transportation
safety. Although we have made
improvements in the rates of fatalities and injuries on our highways, the total
numbers remain intolerable, and they are rising.
In 2002, nearly 43,000 people lost their lives on our highways and roads.
These are numbers that I simply will not accept.
That
is why I have challenged the dedicated men and women of the Department of
Transportation to dramatically reduce the number of injuries and fatalities on
our nations highways, starting right now.
For
the past year and a half, this Department, with the critical and timely help of
this Committee, has dedicated itself to improving transportation security for
Americans. Faced with the scourge
of terrorism, our Department responded by creating unprecedented partnerships
with the private sector, Congress, interest groups, and Federal, State, and
local agencies. Together we
succeeded in decreasing the dangers of terrorism through new and better
technology, more personnel, improved laws, and increased education.
Mr.
Chairman, we are going to do the same thing with car crashes. This year, we are going to take the same passion, call on
similar partnerships, and build the same record of success through enforcement,
education, and engineering.
Nothing
would make a greater difference in highway reducing injuries and fatalities than
to increase the use of safety belts everywhere in America.
If safety belt use were to increase from the national average of 75
percent to 90 percent -- an achievable goal – 4,000 lives would be saved each
year.
We
have a moral, as well as an economic, obligation to immediately address the
problem of transportation safety. The
total economic impact of all motor vehicle crashes exceeds $230 billion a year,
a staggering figure. That is why
the President and I have made saving lives an essential priority for the
Department and for the reauthorization of TEA-21.
Our
bill would improve safety by creating a new core safety program, consolidating
and simplifying the safety programs administered by NHTSA, and providing new
incentive bonuses to reward States that achieve demonstrable safety results.
Enactment
of this bill would be an important step in reducing highway fatalities and
injuries, and providing greater flexibility to State and local governments.
Our
Nation’s transportation system faces significant challenges in other areas as
well, such as congestion, project delivery, freight movement and intermodal
connectivity. SAFETEA would create
a safer, simpler, and smarter Federal surface transportation program by
addressing transportation problems of national significance, while giving State
and local transportation decision makers more flexibility to solve
transportation problems in their communities.
To
accomplish all of these goals, SAFETEA calls for a record Federal investment in
surface transportation, spending over $201 billion on highway and safety
programs, and nearly $46 billion on public transportation programs, from fiscal
year 2004 through fiscal year 2009.
I
firmly believe that our proposal provides an excellent framework to tackle the
surface transportation challenges that lie ahead.
SAFETEA
will help ensure needed repairs to our roads and bridges. It will ensure that new transportation projects are completed
on budget and on time, while protecting the environment. And it ensures the continued growth of our Nation’s
economy, without imposing costly new taxes.
Our
proposal funds our nation’s transportation infrastructure needs in a fiscally
responsible manner. SAFETEA
continues the funding guarantees of TEA-21 that linked highway funding with
transportation excise tax receipts, and redirects the 2.5 cents per gallon of
the General Fund’s gasohol tax to the Highway Trust Fund.
SAFETEA
also improves highway infrastructure performance and maintenance by dedicating
an additional $1 billion a year of Highway Trust Fund dollars over and above
each year’s estimated receipts into the Highway Trust Fund.
Obviously,
the total size of the program is and will continue to be a matter of debate.
That debate should not, however, be permitted to cloud a meaningful and
necessary discussion of the many programmatic reforms contained in SAFETEA.
Moreover,
any proposal that jettisons the important linkage between tax revenues and
spending in an effort to achieve higher overall funding puts the landmark
victory of guaranteed funding at risk.
My
written statement, which has been submitted for the record, contains a much more
detailed explanation of the programmatic reforms that are included in our
SAFETEA proposal. I hope that you
will give these proposals serious consideration as the committee moves to
develop its version of this legislation.
I
would like to conclude by stressing the fact that the Bush Administration is
committed to securing approval of a multi-year reauthorization bill this year,
and I look forward to working with Congress to achieve that very important goal.
Thank you very much for having me here today, and I look forward to
answering your questions.
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