Max Baucus: “I am very pleased to join my distinguished colleague, the esteemed Senator from Rhode Island, Senator Chafee, to…”

“I am very pleased to join my distinguished colleague, the esteemed Senator from Rhode Island, Senator Chafee, to safeguard the funding allocation of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. We call it TEA 21, the Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century. What is it? It is a very large, massive transportation bill that this Congress passed a couple of years ago--about $217 billion over 6 years in highway funds and transit funds for the States. It is very important legislation to address this country's infrastructure needs. The Senator from Rhode Island will soon raise a point of order under rule XVI against a provision in that bill; that is, against a provision in this bill before us, the Transportation appropriations bill, the provision which rewrites a section of TEA 21, known as RABA. What in the world is RABA? RABA is the ``revenue aligned budget authority.'' I will explain that in just a second. This section, the RABA section, is totally within the jurisdiction of one committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the authorizing committee, and thus the provision in this appropriations bill constitutes legislation on an appropriations bill in clear violation of rule XVI.”