Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2004, Part III

Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to extend to July 31, 2004, certain advanced authorizations from the Highway Trust Fund.

Revises the amount of obligation limitation that is to be distributed by the Secretary of Transportation.

Sets a cap upon the total amount of obligation authority distributed through July 31, 2004.

Prohibits a State from obligating after July 31, 2004, any funds for any Federal-aid highway program project until the date of enactment of a law reauthorizing the Federal-aid highway program.

(Sec. 3) Amends the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2003 to make specified funds available from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for administrative expenses of the Federal-aid highway program for FY 2004.

(Sec. 4) Amends TEA-21 to extend through July, 31, 2004, the authorization of appropriations under TEA-21 for: (1) Federal lands highways (Indian reservation roads, public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and refuge roads); (2) national corridor planning and development and coordinated border infrastructure programs; (3) construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities (including set-asides for such projects that are a part of the National Highway System in Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington State); (4) the national scenic byways program; (5) the value pricing pilot program; (6) highway use tax evasion projects; (7) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Highway Program; (8) safety grants; (9) the transportation and community and system preservation pilot program; (10) transportation infrastructure finance and innovation; (11) surface transportation research; (12) the technology deployment program; (13) training and education; (14) the Bureau of Transportation Statistics; (15) Intermodal Transportation System standards, research, operational tests, development, and deployment; (16) university transportation research; (17) metropolitan planning; (18) the Territories of Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; (19) the Alaska highway program; (20) Operation Lifesaver; (21) the bridge discretionary program; (22) interstate maintenance; (23) recreational trails administrative costs; and (24) railway-highway crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors.

Extends through July 31, 2004, the authorization of appropriations for skills training and on-the-job training to implement a specified nondiscrimination program.

(Sec. 5) Extends through July 31, 2004, the authorization of appropriations for highway safety programs, including: (1) seat belt safety incentive grants; and (2) prevention of intoxicated driver incentive grants.

(Sec. 6) Amends the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to extend funding for the National Outreach and Communications Program through July 31, 2004. Extends through the same date the authorization of apportionments for qualified projects under the Clean Vessel Act of 1972.

Amends Federal maritime law to increase the authorization of appropriations for personnel and activities expenses of the Coast Guard directly related to the national recreational boating safety program.

(Sec. 7) Extends through July 31, 2004, the authorization of allocations and apportionments for Federal transit programs, including: (1) fixed guideway modernization (earmarking amounts to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities); (2) formula grants (earmarking amounts for the Alaska Railroad for improvements to its passenger operations, bus and bus facilities grants, transportation services to elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities, financial assistance for urbanized areas and other than urbanized areas, and intercity, fixed route over-the-road bus service); (3) capital programs; (4) planning; (5) research (earmarking amounts for rural transportation assistance, transit cooperative research programs, the National Transit Institute, and national planning and research programs), including university transportation research; (6) carrying out certain administrative provisions by the Secretary of Transportation; (7) the job access and reverse commute program; (8) the rural transportation accessibility incentive program; (9) urbanized area formula grants; (10) the fuel cell bus and bus facilities program; (11) the advanced technology pilot project; (12) projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing systems; and (13) the New Jersey urban core project.

(Sec. 8) Amends TEA-21 to extend through July 31, 2004, the authorization of appropriations for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration programs, including: (1) certain highway safety programs; (2) highway safety research and development (R&D); (3) occupant protection incentive grants; (4) alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures incentive grants; and (5) the National Driver Register.

(Sec. 9) Amends the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2003 to extend through July 31, 2004, the authorization of appropriations for: (1) administrative expenses of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; (2) the motor carrier safety assistance program; (3) information systems and commercial driver's license grants; and (4) continuation of a crash causation study.

(Sec. 10) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend until August 1, 2004, the authorization for the use of the HTF and the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund, including the sport fish restoration account and the boat safety account.