FY19 HTF Shutdown Fits In Well With Tradition of HTF Bill “Triggers”
July 22, 2015 – Section 80003 of the Senate DRIVE Act now provides for a clean and complete shutoff of all new HTF obligations (except for administrative overhead, safety activities, and items exempt from obligation limitation) that is predicted to take effect on October 1, 2018. The idea is that this will force Congress to provide a huge tranche of new money for the HTF halfway through the bill while continuing to fund the policies and promises made by the bill.
Such “trigger” or “re-opener” provisions are not new to surface transportation legislations. Let’s take a walk down memory lane over the last 25 years…