Senate Appropriations Subcommittee FY 2005 Transit Funding
-- $7.758 Billion!
September 10, 2004
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Good news! On September 9, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
on Transportation, Treasury and General Government approved an FY 2005 funding
bill that would provide $7.758 billion for the federal transit program, $509
million more than the amount included in the House-passed appropriations bill
(H.R. 5025) for FY 2005. Based on preliminary information, the bill would
fund the transit formula program at $4.007 billion and the major capital investment
program at $3.413 billion, with new starts funding at $1.474 billion, fixed-guideway
modernization at $1.214 billion, and bus and bus facilities at $725 million.
The measure would provide $125 million for the Job Access and Reverse Commute
(JARC) program. The bill does not provide specific earmarks for new starts,
bus and bus facilities, or the JARC program, but earmarks are likely to be
added when the Senate and House bills go to a conference committee.
It is unclear when the Senate bill will go to the full Senate Appropriations
Committee, but there has been discussion about combining a number of unfinished
Senate appropriations bills into a single omnibus bill that would serve as
a legislative vehicle that would be taken to conference with the House. In
the House, the FY 2005 Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies
Appropriations bill is likely to be considered on the House Floor as early
as next week.
For more information, please contact Rob Healy in the APTA Government Affairs
Department at (202) 496-4811, or rhealy@apta.com.
TEA 21 Reauthorization
Conferees on the TEA 21 reauthorization bill are still working to craft
an agreement, with discussion focusing on a proposal put forth in late July
by Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) on behalf of House conferees.
That proposal would authorize $284 billion in guaranteed funding and $299
billion in contract authority for transit and highway programs. According
to House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Don Young (R-AK), details
regarding the split between transit and highway programs and other issues
would need to be negotiated separately. While no meeting has formally been
scheduled, the conferees may get back together early next week to discuss
the bill. Both Chairman Young and Conference Chairman Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK),
as well as other leaders in the House, have expressed a strong desire to complete
a bill before Congress adjourns in early October before the November elections.
The current short-term extension for highway programs expires on September
24, while the extension for transit programs expires on September 30. If Congress
is unable to enact a long-term bill by those dates, it will need to pass another
extension to keep these programs running.
For more information, please contact Rob Healy in the APTA Government Affairs
Department at (202) 496-4811, or rhealy@apta.com.
Transit Security Funding Moves Forward
The Senate version of the FY 2005 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations
bill (S. 2537) was on the Senate Floor on September 9, and the Senate is expected
to complete action on the measure during the week of September 13. As reported
in our August 4 Washington Report, the Senate bill would provide $150 million
for rail and transit security grants and another $40 million for transit and
rail security. The House-passed bill (H.R. 4567) provides about $111 million
for transit and rail security. An amendment offered by Senator Robert Byrd
(D-WV), which would have increased transit and rail security funding to $350
million and increase funding for other security issues was defeated on a procedural
motion on September 9. The bill is likely to go to a conference committee
and be brought back for final approval before the end of the fiscal year on
September 30.
For more information, please contact Tom Yedinak in the APTA Government Affairs
Department at (202) 496-4865, or tyedinak@apta.com.
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