Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Government Organizations

With No Transport Funding Fix, USDOT to Cut Payments to States Next Month

By Angie Schmitt | Jul 2, 2014 | 17 Comments

State transportation departments could see the federal funding they receive pared back as early as a few weeks from now if Congress doesn’t come up with a transportation funding solution. A “cash management plan” to deal with the impending shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund — which actually pays for transit, biking, and walking projects […]

Senator Pat Toomey Fights to Spare America From Safe Streets

By Tanya Snyder | Jun 25, 2014 | 4 Comments

You know the Senate is close to passing transportation legislation when someone introduces a hare-brained amendment to ban bike and pedestrian programs. Sen. Ron Wyden, as promised, yesterday introduced a bill to extend MAP-21 and the Highway Trust Fund’s authority by three months. It also transfers some money from the general fund into the HTF to keep […]

And So Begins the Long Slog to the Lame Duck

By Tanya Snyder | Jun 24, 2014 | No Comments

The push for a long-term transportation bill is slowly giving way to the reality of an utter lack of consensus around a funding mechanism. The chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which is charged with finding that consensus, indicated today that the job just isn’t possible right now. The Hill reports that Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) […]

Senators Murphy (D) and Corker (R) Propose 12-Cent Gas Tax Increase

By Tanya Snyder | Jun 18, 2014 | 31 Comments

There are several proposals on the table to stave off the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund (which pays for transit, biking, and walking projects too) in two months. Just now, two senators teamed up to announce one that might actually have a chance. Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have proposed […]

Study: Corrupt States Spend More on Highways

By Angie Schmitt | Jun 6, 2014 | 14 Comments

A new academic study helps explain the enduring political popularity of expensive transportation boondoggles like Birmingham’s $4.7 billion Northern Beltline and Kentucky’s $2.6 billion Ohio River Bridges. According to research published in the journal Public Administration Review, states with higher levels of public corruption spend more money on highways and construction. The study found highway and construction projects and police programs […]

House Bill Would Give Cities and Towns More Say Over Transpo Spending

By Angie Schmitt | Jun 3, 2014 | 1 Comment

A bill to give local governments greater access to transportation funds has bipartisan sponsors in the House of Representatives. The Innovation in Surface Transportation Act, introduced late last month, would let local communities access a much more significant share of federal transportation funds. The legislation would set aside a share of various federal programs that flow to […]

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