Bill Archer: “as the House takes up consideration of the fiscal year 1997 transportation appropriations bill (HR 3675), I want to…”

“as the House takes up consideration of the fiscal year 1997 transportation appropriations bill (HR 3675), I want to explain the current law provisions governing expenditures from the Mass Transit Account and to clarify that HR 3675 does not amend current law with respect to those Trust Fund expenditures. By way of background, the Committee on Ways and Means has jurisdiction over provisions which amend the Internal Revenue Code Trust Funds, including the Mass Transit Account within the Highway Trust Fund. The Committee's jurisdiction is not limited to the financing of the Trust Funds. The Committee's jurisdiction includes the expenditure purposes of the Trust Funds. The role of the Committee on Ways and Means over the expenditure purposes of the Trust Fund Code acknowledges the long-standing agreement that Trust Fund spending purposes should be approved by the Committee responsible for raising dedicated revenues. The statutory provisions governing expenditures from the Mass Transit Account within the Highway Trust Fund were established in the 1982 Surface Transportation Assistance Act.”