As previously reported in our September 25 Legislative Alert, the Senate Committee on Appropriations marked up S. 2520, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Act, 2020, on September 19. The bill provides a total of $12.96 billion for public transportation, a reduction of $457 million from fiscal year (FY) 2019 enacted levels. In addition, the Senate THUD bill does not include a provision to block the Rostenkowski Test, to prevent an impending $1.2 billion cut to public transit formula funds in FY 2020.

The Senate THUD Appropriations bill provides $1.98 billion for Capital Investment Grants (CIG), a reduction of $575 million from current year funding. If enacted, this CIG funding level would be the lowest level in six years (since FY 2014). Specifically, the bill provides:

• $1.5 billion for New Starts;
• $300 million for Core Capacity;
• $78 million for Small Starts; and
• $100 million for the Expedited Project Delivery for CIG Pilot Program.

The Senate THUD Appropriations bill reduces Small Starts funding by $449 million or 85 percent. The bill also significantly reduces Core Capacity funding by more than one-half—from $635 million in FY 2019 to $300 million in FY 2020. To view an APTA funding table, please click here.

CIG Pipeline. Many communities are seeking CIG funding to meet the mobility demands of their growing communities. Currently, there are 54 projects in the Federal Transit Administration’s CIG pipeline. These projects require more than $23 billion in federal funding. To view an APTA table of the CIG pipeline, please click here.

To view S. 2520, please click here. To view the Committee report, please click here.