$35-Billion Transportation Bill Signed
President Bush on Monday signed a bill giving the Transportation Department $35 billion to spend on highway construction, upgraded aviation equipment and drug and alcohol tests for transportation workers.
But Bush said the bill “lacks meaning” because Congress has not yet approved legislation giving the agency permission to spend the money.
The $35.2-billion transportation funding bill for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1 includes $16.8 billion to help states pay for highway construction projects, $600 million for special road projects in lawmakers’ home districts, $3.8 billion for mass transit programs and $2.4 billion to modernize aviation equipment. It includes operating funds for the Transportation Department and related agencies.
The bill requires random drug and alcohol tests for workers in the airline, railroad, truck and bus industries, as well as for employees of local transit systems, air traffic controllers and other Federal Aviation Administration workers.
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