United States Department of Transportation
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| Established: | October 15, 1966 |
| Activated: | April 1, 1967 |
| Secretary: | Mary Peters |
| Deputy Secretary: | Vice Admiral Thomas J. Barrett, USCG (Ret.)[1] |
| Budget: | $58 billion |
| Employees: | 58,622 |
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transport. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966 and began operation on April 1, 1967. It is administered by the United States Secretary of Transportation.
Its mission is to "Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future."
In some areas, like aviation and railroads, the federal government has taken over completely using its Commerce Clause powers and preempted virtually all regulation at the state and local levels. But construction and maintenance of highway and transit networks has traditionally been the responsibility of state governments in the United States. The federal government has increasingly become more active in transportation policy by levying federal taxes and making grants to state governments for specific projects, but technically, the actual day-to-day responsibility for the resulting projects remains with the states. Thus, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration do not directly build and operate roads; they exist only to dispense grants to state governments and to ensure that those grants are used in a way that furthers national transportation policy. Of course, the gradually increasing reliance of states upon federal grants has given the federal government a significant amount of indirect control over state transportation policy through its Spending Clause powers.
The current Deputy Secretary, is also the first and current Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
Contents |
[edit] Divisions
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
- Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
- Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
- Maritime Administration (MARAD)
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). See also: motor carrier.
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- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Office of Inspector General (OIG)
- Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST)
- Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA)
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
- Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC)
- Surface Transportation Board (STB)
[edit] Former Divisions
- Transportation Security Administration-transferred to Department of Homeland Security in 2003
- United States Coast Guard-transferred to Department of Homeland Security in 2003
[edit] Related legislation
- 1806 - Cumberland Road
- 1862 - Pacific Railway Act
- 1887 - Interstate Commerce Act
- 1916 - Adamson Railway Labor Act
- 1935 - Motor Carrier Act
- 1946 - Federal Airport Act PL 79-377
- 1950 - Federal Aid to Highway PL 81-769
- 1954 - Saint Lawrence Seaway Act
- 1956 - Federal-Aid to Highway/Interstate Highway Act PL 84-627
- 1957 - Airways Modernization Act PL 85-133
- 1958 - Transportation Act PL 85-625
- 1958 - Federal Aviation Act PL 85-726
- 1959 - Airport Construction Act PL 86-72
- 1964 - Urban Mass Transportation Act PL 88-365
- 1965 - Highway Beautification Act PL 89-285
- 1966 - Department of Transportation established PL 89-670
Uniform Time Act - 1970 - Urban Mass Transportation Act PL 91-453
- 1970 - Rail Passenger Service Act PL 91-518
- 1970 - Airport and Airway Development Act PL 91-258
- 1973 - Federal Aid Highway Act PL 93-87
- 1973 - Amtrak Improvement Act PL 93-146
- 1973 - Federal Aid Highway Act PL 93-87
- 1974 - National Mass Transportation Assistance Act PL 93-503
- 1976 - Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act PL 94-210
- 1976 - Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act PL 94-435
- 1978 - Airline Deregulation Act PL 95-504
- 1980 - Motor Carrier Act PL 96-296
- 1980 - Staggers Rail Act PL 96-448
- 1982 - Transportation Assistance Act PL 97-424
- 1982 - Bus Regulatory Reform Act PL 97-261
- 1987 - Surface Transportation Act PL 100-17
- 1991 - Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act PL 102-240
- 1998 - Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century PL 105-178
- 2002 - Homeland Security Act (PL 107-296)
- 2005 - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (PL 109-59)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- United States Department of Transportation Official Website
- U.S. Department of Transportation - Office of the Historian
- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed
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