The U.S. House of Representatives Feb. 11 unanimously approved a four-month extension for the funding of national highway and transit programs. The legislation, H.R. 3783, was approved by a 421 to 0 vote.

“Unfortunately, the overall funding for transportation has not been resolved entirely, and therefore we must pass this four-month extension,” Rep. Don Young, R-AK, chairman of the Transportation Committee, said. “This bill is necessary in order to give the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and our colleagues in the Senate time to complete a multiyear surface transportation bill.”

The national highway and transit-funding bill expired Sept. 30, 2003, but was extended until Feb. 29, 2004, prior to the new four-month extension, which runs through June 20, 2004. The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

Young has introduced H.R. 3550, the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users. Known as TEA-LU, the legislation would increase highway and transit funding to $375 billion over the next six years.

Meanwhile, H.R. 3783 would:

• Continue the highway construction and safety, transit, motor carrier, and surface transportation research programs for an additional four months beyond the pending Feb. 29, 2004, deadline.
• Authorize more than $25 billion in contract authority to the states to continue the core federal-aid highway programs.
• Authorize more than $5 billion to continue grants to transit agencies around the country and other programs of the Federal Transit Administration.
• Authorize $255 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for state grants to enforce safety regulations and to continue safety inspections at our border with Mexico.
• Authorize $224 million to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for highway safety grants, occupant protection grants, and impaired-driving countermeasure grants.