Title: Surface Reauthorization | Transportation.org
Headings: Surface Reauthorization
Surface Reauthorization
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Content: Since 2008, the HTF has been sustained through a series of General Fund transfers now amounting to $140 billion. Without a solution to this crisis, AASHTO estimates that states will see about a 40 percent drop in highway funding from FY 2020 to 2021. In the past, such similar shortfall situations have led to the possibility of a reduction in federal reimbursements to states on existing obligations, leading to serious cash flow problems for states and resulting in project delays. More alarmingly, due to a steeper projected shortfall in the Mass Transit Account, new federal transit obligations are expected to be zeroed out between FY 2021 and FY 2023. Simply put, this is a devastating scenario that we must do all we can to avoid. Beyond maintaining program levels, there has been broad consensus among states that additional federal funding and investment is warranted. Beyond funding stability, after decades of adding layers of regulatory requirements on state transportation agencies, various aspects of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and the FAST Act provided needed policy reforms. In the next surface transportation reauthorization, AASHTO recognizes that we need to continue the momentum of MAP-21 and the FAST Act by making further efficiency gains on project delivery and providing increased flexibility for states. Every state DOT’s priority is ensuring safety and serving as responsible stewards of taxpayer resources and both human and natural environments, all the while improving both mobility and accessibility for all residents and businesses. Based on the recommendations developed by AASHTO’s Transportation Policy Forum, this official package of AASHTO surface transportation reauthorization recommendations to Congress and the Administration was adopted by the AASHTO Board of Directors on October 9, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri.