August 1, 2005 - Following a nearly two year delay and an unprecedented 11 extensions, last Friday Congress passed and sent to the President H.R. 3, legislation reauthorizing highway, transit and safety programs. The funding level is a six-year total of $286.4 billion. (Here's a quick way to see how your House member voted.) Each state will receive at least a 19 percent increase of funding over its TEA-21 average. The distribution formula calls for a 90.5 percent rate of return in FY 05 & 06, increasing to 91 percent in FY 07 and to 92 percent in FY 08 and FY 09. Once it becomes known how much of the program is covered by these "guarantees," Florida will have a better idea how we've fared under this legislation.
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