APTA: Legislative Alert

House Joint Resolution Sets Funding at SAFETEA-LU Level: $8.975 Billion - A New Record for Transit!

February 1, 2007

The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday in a 286-140 vote passed a year-long joint resolution (H.J. Res. 20) to complete unfinished Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Appropriations bills, including the FY 2007 Transportation Appropriations bill. The resolution provides federal transit programs with $8.975 billion for the current fiscal year, the record-high level authorized and guaranteed by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, P.L. 109-59). Federal transit programs are currently operating under a continuing resolution at FY 2006 levels that expires on February 15. While most domestic federal programs will not receive an increase in funding this year under the new resolution, transit and highway programs would be spared from the freeze at FY 2006 levels which is applied to most federal programs. The Senate is expected to consider the resolution next week.

APTA has worked individually and with a broad coalition of surface transportation interests to urge House and Senate Appropriations leaders to fund federal transit and highway programs at the levels authorized by SAFETEA-LU. Numerous Members of Congress have also advocated for full transit and highway funding. Two weeks prior to yesterday's vote, a bi-partisan group of the eight leaders of the Senate's Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee sent a letter to Senate Democrat and Republican leaders urging full transit and highway funding, and the entire membership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee signed a letter to House Appropriations leaders urging the same. These efforts were followed last week by 72 Senators sending another letter to Senate leaders, demonstrating the widespread support for full transit and highway funding in the continuing resolution.

Provisions of the House-Passed Resolution

The House-passed resolution funds transit programs at authorized levels: $7.263 billion for formula programs, $1.566 billion for the New Starts/Small Starts program, $61 million for transit research programs and $85 million for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) administrative expenses, but the resolution will alter the administration of several programs for FY 2007. The resolution contains no earmarks, a promise made by the new Democratic leadership of the 110th Congress to enable new restrictions on earmark requests to be implemented. As a result, FTA is given the authority under the resolution to allocate and distribute all FY 2007 New Starts/Small Starts funds, and the agency will have similar discretion in allocating about half of the $901 million of Bus and Bus Facilities and Clean Fuels grant funds after SAFETEA-LU earmarks are honored. In making New Starts/Small Starts decisions, FTA will likely look at existing Full Funding Grant Agreements and the agency's Annual Report on New Starts for guidance.

ACTION CALL!

Senate leaders plan to debate the House-passed resolution next week. APTA members need to contact their Senators immediately:

Urge them to support the House-passed year-long joint resolution (H.J. Res. 20) and the $8.975 billion-level of transit funding it contains.
Make sure to explain how full-funding for transit programs as contained in the House-passed resolution will benefit your system and your community.

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