Similar problems, different laws.

Rall, Jaime ; Posey, Lee ; Reed, Michael 等

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Federal aviation legislation isn't the only major bill of critical importance to the states that is now caught up in congressional gridlock. These are two more.

EDUCATION

In 2001, Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act known as No Child Left Behind. The law expired in 2007 and it still has not been reauthorized. Instead, K-12 education programs have been continued through the budget process. Congress and the administration continue to debate how to update and reform the controversial law, with key disagreements focused on No Child Left Behind's accountability rules and extensive federal interventions. The House Education and Workforce Committee has passed three education reform bills, and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has proposed giving states waivers from some of the law's requirements in exchange for implementing reform measures.

There is, however, no clear path to getting the much-needed comprehensive reauthorization bill passed. In the absence of federal action, states are moving quickly with their own education reform efforts, but it's unclear whether these efforts will be compatible with future congressional action.

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION

The nation's multiple-year, comprehensive surface transportation law--the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users--expired on Sept. 30, 2009. In the two years since, highways and transit projects have been funded through seven short-term extensions, with the current one set to expire on Sept. 30. Congress and the administration face difficult choices concerning the future federal role in--and funding levels for- -transportation programs, in light of the decreasing value of the gas tax and chronic shortfalls in transportation funding. The House has proposed a six-year, $230 billion plan that keeps spending in line with actual revenues, cutting about 35 percent from today's funding levels--a reduction some advocates say may be too much for many states to bear. The Senate's two-year, $109 billion alternative maintains current funding amounts, but presents no solutions for closing the revenue gap. Both fall shy of the $556 billion over six years proposed earlier this year by President Obama. As agreement on key policy and funding issues continues to elude federal policymakers, the ongoing uncertainty is hampering states' long-term surface transportation planning efforts.

--Jaime Rall, Lee Posey and Michael Reed, NCSL