DOT
DOT/BTS
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) was born as a statistical agency in 1992. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 established BTS for data collection, analysis, and reporting and to ensure the most cost-effective use of transportation-monitoring resources. BTS brings a greater degree of coordination, comparability, and quality standards to transportation data, and to fill important gaps. BTS is one of the twelve modal administrations in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). BTS is headed by a Director, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Director serves a four year term and reports directly to the Secretary of Transportation. BTS' basic authorizing legislation is the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), which provides &#3631 million each year for a six year period (1998-2003) in contract authority. This funding comes from the Highway Trust Fund, and is administered within the Research and Development account under the Federal Highway Administration. BTS' data collection programs for aviation and motor carrier information are authorized under separate legislation enacted when the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) were terminated. Both of these programs are mandatory data collections. The Wendell Ford Aviation Investment Reform Act (AIR-21) authorized funding for the airline information program from the Aviation Trust Fund, but to date no funding has been appropriated from this source. Website: "http://www.bts.gov/" [Summary provided by BTS]