Special Federal Budget Issue: Department of Transportation

The Administration's FY 2006 budget request of $59.5 billion for the Department of Transportation (DOT) is 1 percent higher than the FY 2005 appropriation. DOT's request would be distributed across the department's five key strategic objectives as follows:

• Improve safety (26.1 percent);
• Increase mobility for all Americans (64.5 percent);
• Increases global transportation connectivity in support of the Nation's economy (0.5 percent);
• Protect the environment (6.7 percent); and,
• Support national security (0.9 percent).

The balance of 1.3 percent would go toward organizational excellence, according to the DOT Budget in Brief.

DOT's FY06 budget request includes a $28 billion funding increase for the Administration's six-year surface transportation re-authorization proposal, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act(SAFETEA) of 2003, from $256 billion to $284 billion in federal resources over the six-year life of the bill.

Highlights of the research and development (R&D) portion of the DOT budget request:

The FY06 budget request reflects DOT's two new organizations, effective Nov. 30, 2004: the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The new organizations were formed from the merger of the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), the Office of Intermodalism, currently housed in the Office of the Secretary, and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

The FY06 budget request for RITA is $39 million to coordinate, facilitate, and review the advancement and R&D of innovative technologies, including intelligent transportation systems; comprehensive transportation statistics research, analysis and reporting; education and training in transportation and transportation-related fields, including the University Transportation Centers; and activities of the Volpe National Transportation Center. The FY06 budget request for RITA's R&D line item is $6.2 million, an increase of $2 million from the FY05 appropriation.

RITA also will undertake more than $300 million in transportation-related research on a reimbursable basis for other agencies. For instance, through the University Transportation Centers, RITA will support the education of transportation professionals in obtaining advanced degrees in transportation-related programs from participating universities.

In FY06, the Research, Engineering, and Development line item at the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) is $130 million (no change), including $92 million for continued research on aviation safety issues. The remaining research funding is for mobility and environmental issues, including $18.1 million for the Joint Planning and Development Office to develop a plan for transforming the future of the National air space.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) FY06 budget request for the Office of Research, Development and Technology and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is $425.6 million, which is down from the FY05 appropriation of $864 million with the elimination of earmarked funds for ITS projects. The FY06 budget request would enable FHWA to continue to work on identifying ways to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities on the nation's roadways. This would be accomplished by applying innovative technologies in highway safety, deploying and evaluating safety technologies and innovations at the state and local levels, and assuring the deployment of best practices in training, design, and planning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) FY06 budget request includes $94 million ($6 million increase) for research and analysis in support of all NHTSA programs, including the collection and analysis of crash data to identify safety problems, develop alternative solutions and assess costs, benefits, and effectiveness. Research will continue to concentrate on improving vehicle crash worthiness and crash avoidance, with emphasis on increasing safety belt use, decreasing alcohol involvement in crashes, decreasing the number of rollover crashes, improving vehicle-to-vehicle crash compatibility, and improved data systems.

The FY06 budget request for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) includes $53.8 million for National Research, to be distributed across four programs:

• $34.4 million for the National Research Program;
• $9 million for the Transit Cooperative Research;
• $4.4 million for the National Transit Institute; and,
• $6 million for the University Transportation Research Program.

The Federal Railway Administration (FRA) FY06 budget request for R&D is $46 million (up from $36 million in FY 2005) to support research efforts in the areas of rail systems safety, track and structures, train occupant protection, human factors in train operations, rolling stock and components, track and train interaction, train control, grade crossings, hazardous materials, and transportation and research development facilities and test equipment. The $10 million increase over the FY05 appropriation will be used to implement a revised plan to install the Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System.

The FRA FY06 budget request of $360 million would provide funding to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to oversee the continuation of commuter operations in the Northeast Corridor and elsewhere should Amtrak cease commuter rail operations as the future of intercity passenger rail is determined. No funding is requested for the Next Generation High Speed Rail initiative ($22 million decrease) because the future of the passenger rail system remains under debate, according to the FRA budget document.

The Minority Business Resource Center (MBRC) program, through the DOT Office of the Secretary, requested $3.9 million for FY06. Federal subsidy and administrative expenses of $900,000 will support an $18 million short-term loan guarantee program to assist small, disadvantaged and women-owned transportation-related businesses; and $3 million (no change) will fund the Minority Outreach program, which includes a clearinghouse for national dissemination of information on transportation-related projects and grants to minority educational institutions.