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Today, President George W. Bush signed the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2005, Part II, which extends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) until July 19 while Congress continues to debate funding levels.

Since it originally expired in September 2003, TEA-21 has been extended eight times. The previous extension expired yesterday.

However, the House and Senate conference committee seems to be getting closer to a resolution. Late last night, conferees reached a tentative agreement on a $286.4 billion funding level for the bill, including $52.6 billion for transit, according to the American Public Transportation Association. Conferees now are negotiating details on some highway funding-related issues.