Budget Proposes $371 Million for Motor Carrier Safety

The Bush administration proposed a record $371 million for motor carrier safety in fiscal 2003 on Monday, even as grant funding for state safety programs fell by $16 million.

Under President Bush's fiscal 2003 budget, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would see a boost in funding for border enforcement to $61 billion from $27 million this fiscal year, and a jump to $120 million from $110 million in the agency’s federal funding for motor carrier safety funding.

Even though the FMCSA’s budget is rising, the Department of Transportation discretionary spending is being reduced to $53 billion in 2003 from $59 billion in 2002. Fiscal year 2003 begins Oct. 1, 2002.

The proposed decrease in DOT spending is largely attributable to a $8.5 billion drop in the highway trust fund allocation, which is based on a formula established in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. The Bush administration has blamed the decrease on reduced fuel tax receipts caused by the sputtering economy.

The new Transportation Security Administration will get $4.8 billion to fund post-Sept. 11 transportation security initiatives that include a federal takeover of airport baggage and passenger screening.

Almost half of the money for TSA included in the budget outlook will come from a new tax on airline passengers and fees paid to the government by airlines.

(Click here for more on President Bush's budget.)