Pending Legislation
FY'11 Budget and Appropriations

Status

The new Federal fiscal year began on October 1, 2010.  Since Congress was unable to pass any of the 12 federal agency FY'11 appropriations bills, even usually "must-do" funding bills such as DOD and Homeland Security, during the post-election "Lame Duck" session Congress was forced to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend funding for all federal agencies into the new year and the new Congress through March 4, 2011.   The CR is "clean", meaning it does not include any extraneous funding or policy provisions and funds most federal programs at the existing FY'10 funding levels.  The new 112th Congress will  need to address FY'11 funding again before March 4 by passing another short-term CR, a year-long CR or preferably, a multi-agency omnibus appropriations bill that would include higher funding levels. 

US DOT Appropriations

Below is information about the House, Senate (Committee only) and current FY'10 funding levels for key DOT programs. 

Program

Current FY'10 Funding

House FY'11

Senate Appropriations Comte FY'11

Federal-aid Highways

$41.1B

$45.2B

$41.8B

Livable Communities Initiative

$0

$500M ($300M from the transit account and $200M from the highway account - see note below)

$0 (although the bill contains a $200M planning program for livability)

FTA Total

$10.7B

$11.3B (contingent on additional authorization)

$10.7B

FTA New Starts/Small Starts

$2B

$2B

$2B

FTA Formula & Bus

$8.3B

$8.9B (contingent on additional authorization)

$8.4B

FRA High Speed Rail

$2.5B

$1.4B

$1B

FRA Positive Train Control

$50M

$75M

$150M

Amtrak Capital/Debt

$1B

$1.2B

$1.4B

Amtrak Operating

$563M

$563M

$563M

FAA AIP

$3.5B

$3.5B

$3.5B

TIGER III

$600M

$400M

$800M

The higher obligation limits for both the highway and transit programs in the House-passed bill are not feasible under existing budget authority.  Additional authorizing legislation (such as SAFETEA-LU reauthorization) must be passed to provide sufficient contract authority to support the higher House levels, therefore it is unlikely these levels will be included in the final version of the bill. 

Neither the House nor the Senate agreed to fund the Administration's budget request for $4B for a National Infrastructure Innovation and Finance Fund (NIIFF). 

A House floor amendment offered by Rep. DeFazio (D-OR) that was agreed to would prohibit the transfer of $200M in federal highway contract authority to a new discretionary Livable Communities program unless separate authorizing legislation is passed.

Several amendments to cut funding for various programs and earmarks, particularly Amtrak, were defeated on the House floor. 

Administration

House

Senate

Conference