APTA Appeals to Congress to Fully Fund Public Transit, Passenger Rail

APTA urges Congress to honor the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and fully fund public transportation investments in FY24 by providing at least $21.6 billion for public transit and $20.2 billion for passenger rail in the FY24 THUD Appropriations Act. These amounts would honor the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

APTA also requests the fully authorized amount of $4.6 billion for FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) to help communities meet increased mobility demands. At a minimum, APTA says Congress should provide investment levels as passed by the Senate, including $21.1 billion for public transit (including $4.05 billion for CIG) and $16.7 billion for passenger rail.

In a letter to Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas wrote, “As you begin resolving the differences between the House and Senate THUD Appropriations bills, we urge you to fully fund public transit and passenger rail at the Fiscal Year 2024 authorized amounts: $21.6 billion for public transit and $20.2 billion for passenger rail. These amounts would honor the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“At a minimum, we urge the THUD Appropriations Act, together with advance appropriations of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to provide $21.1 billion for public transit and $16.7 billion for passenger rail, as passed by the Senate with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 82-15. These investments are critical to our efforts to begin to bring public transit and passenger rail systems to a state of good repair.”

In addition, APTA urges Congress to:

Provide additional public transit investments for specific initiatives, including the Senate THUD Appropriations bill’s additional $268 million for bus competitive and low-no emission bus grants, ferry grants, the accelerating innovative mobility initiative, and designated investments for specific public transit projects; and the House THUD Appropriations bill’s $131 million for specific public transit projects.
Fully fund passenger rail, including the Amtrak, FRA Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail, Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI), and Railroad Crossing Elimination Grants.
Provide the fully authorized amount of $3 billion for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grants, including public transportation and multi-modal projects.
Support the Senate THUD Appropriations bill provision that expands public transit agencies’ authority to acquire land prior to completion of National Environmental Policy Act review, which would streamline project delivery and bring FTA’s property acquisition authority into parity with Federal Highway Administration programs.

Other APTA Advocacy Tools

APTA members have several key advocacy tools to help them in these efforts, including:

Industry Footprint

APTA members and the broader industry can use the Industry Footprint to view important information on public transportation providers, businesses, and funding, organized by state, congressional district, and state legislative districts. Nearly every congressional district in the country has either an APTA member or another public transportation industry supplier.

CIG Project Pipeline Dashboard

APTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Project Pipeline Dashboard allows the industry to track the progress of projects in FTA’s CIG pipeline. To date, the dashboard includes information on 68 CIG projects with existing full-funding grant agreements or seeking CIG funding. The dashboard also includes important information on the Members of Congress that represent the areas in which each project is located.

My Economic Impact Tool

APTA’s My Economic Impact Tool enables public transit agency members to use their budget data to calculate the economic impact of their services and to make the case for public transportation to elected officials, stakeholders, and the public. The analysis produces figures for jobs, wages, sales, and value-add supported by transit agency spending. The tool’s reports also help users understand direct and indirect effects on the local economy, as well as the diverse occupational mix of jobs supported by public transit spending.

APTA 2024 Legislative Calendar

The second session of the 118^th Congress is underway. The APTA Government Affairs 2024 Legislative Calendar details Congress’ legislative schedule and APTA’s meetings and conferences. Please note that some of these dates are subject to change, and this calendar will be updated regularly.