Cord Byrd: “the conference agreement on ISTEA now before the Senate, which will appropriately be entitled ``The Transportation…”

“the conference agreement on ISTEA now before the Senate, which will appropriately be entitled ``The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century'', is a magnificent accomplishment for those of us who have labored many long months to achieve the enactment of this truly monumental highway bill. Today is the day that we have all been hoping for lo these many months. Today is the day Congress will send to the President a 6-year ISTEA reauthorization act that truly keeps faith with the American traveling public. In adopting this conference report, the Senate will make two profoundly important statements to the American traveling public. First, we are telling the American public that we are finally prepared to guarantee that the revenues collected at the gas pump will indeed be spent for the purpose for which they are collected; namely, the maintenance, upkeep, safety, and expansion of our national highway and transit systems. Second, we are telling the traveling public that we are determined to reverse the Federal Government's chronic underinvestment in our national highway needs. We are about to send to the President a highway bill calling for a full $216 billion in transportation investments over the six years, 1998 through 2003. Of that amount, $173 billion is provided in contract authority for our national highway system.…”