Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021

This bill extends and revises provisions related to federal-aid highway, transit, highway safety, rail, and other surface transportation programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Among other provisions, the bill

• extends FY2021 enacted levels of funding through October 31, 2021, for federal-aid highway, transit, and safety programs;
• increases the cap from $600 million to $700 million on the amount of funding for nationally significant freight and highway projects and extends authority through FY2022 for DOT to provide funding for such projects;
• revises and extends authority through FY2022 for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to carry out collaborative research on in-vehicle technology to prevent alcohol-impaired driving;
• extends authority through October 31, 2021, for DOT to provide direct loans and loan guarantees for railroad rehabilitation and development near rail stations;
• reauthorizes and extends authority through FY2022 for the Appalachian Regional Commission;
• compensates any federal employee who is furloughed or required to work without pay during the authorization lapse at the earliest possible date after the lapse ends; and
• extends expenditure authority through November 1, 2021, for the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund and the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund.