Honoring the Promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

By Matthew O. Tucker and Leslie S. Richards | 4/8/2024

BY MATTHEW O. TUCKER
Global Transit Director
HDR
Chair, APTA Legislative Committee

and LESLIE S. RICHARDS
CEO and General Manager
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Vice Chair, APTA Legislative Committee

As chair and vice chair of the APTA Legislative Committee, we welcome you to the Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. Thanks to all of you, we have made great progress in successfully implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and putting these historic investments to work, improving the lives of people in our communities all across the nation. But there is more work to do.

For 2024, APTA is focused on three major initiatives:

  • Aggressively advocating for public transportation investments in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (THUD Appropriations bill).
  • Actively working to ensure successful implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), commonly referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
  • Carrying out a holistic advocacy outreach effort focused on specific Members of Congress.

Aggressively Advocating for Public Transportation Investments in the FY 2025 THUD Appropriations Bill

Together with the advance appropriations of the IIJA, the 2024 THUD Appropriations Act provides the overwhelming majority of the public transit and passenger rail investments authorized in the IIJA, including $20.9 billion for public transit and $16.3 billion for passenger and freight rail. APTA strongly supported the final 2024 THUD Appropriations Act, and it reflects our continued success in ensuring that Congress provides the investments authorized by the IIJA.

On March 11, 2024, President Biden submitted his FY 2025 Budget Request to Congress, requesting $21.1 billion for public transit and $16.4 billion for passenger rail. The President’s Budget Request also includes important policy proposals, such as expanding public transit agencies’ authority to acquire land prior to the completion of National Environmental Policy Act review.

This year, APTA urges Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration to honor the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by fully funding public transportation in the FY 2025 THUD Appropriations bill. Specifically, we urge Congress and the Administration to:

  • Provide at least $21.9 billion for public transit and $20.6 billion for passenger rail in FY 2025; and
  • Accelerate project delivery by enacting commonsense regulatory reform, such as streamlining real property acquisition for public transit projects.

Working to Ensure Successful Implementation of the IIJA and the Inflation Reduction Act

IIJA

Signed into law on November 15, 2021, the IIJA provides historic investments for public transportation, including $108.2 billion for public transit and $102.1 billion for passenger and freight rail over five years.

To date, USDOT and its modal agencies have awarded billions of dollars for public transit and passenger rail competitive grants and issued numerous regulatory initiatives regarding IIJA implementation. APTA has actively engaged in this process, including submitting comments on public transit safety, Buy America, and innovative financing. APTA comments on regulatory and administrative actions can be found on the APTA Regulatory Matrix at www.apta.com/federal-rulemaking-and-notices.

The APTA Smart Guide [www.apta.com/bipartisan-infrastructure-law-hub] is a resource to assist APTA members in tracking IIJA implementation such as funding and regulations. The Smart Guide also includes advocacy and media toolkits to help APTA members tell their Bipartisan Infrastructure Law success stories.

Inflation Reduction Act

APTA is also engaging with USDOT and the U.S. Department of the Treasury on efficient implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. The Act incorporates numerous important provisions that benefit public transportation, including alternative-fuel vehicle property credits and the new commercial clean-vehicle tax credit ($40,000 per vehicle). On March 11, 2024, the Department of the Treasury issued a final rule on the elective payment of applicable credits, including the new commercial clean-vehicle tax credit. APTA is actively working to ensure that public transit agencies benefit from this provision and receive a direct payment in lieu of a tax credit.

Carrying Out a Holistic Advocacy Outreach Effort

Finally, APTA is carrying out a holistic outreach effort focused on specific Members of Congress, particularly key transportation leaders. This initiative involves the meticulous identification of key transportation lawmakers and the execution of a coordinated advocacy campaign, together with APTA members, aimed at advancing APTA’s objectives. This strategy is focused on grassroots advocacy, and we urge APTA members to:

  • Use APTA’s Action Center for targeted advocacy campaigns.
  • Utilize APTA’s Industry Footprint to highlight the breadth of public transportation providers, businesses, and funding in their congressional district and state.
  • Use APTA’s My Economic Impact Tool to calculate the economic impact of their transit service.
  • Engage Voices for Public Transit advocates for targeted advocacy campaigns.
  • Create local media campaigns (e.g., videos, editorials, letters to the editor).

More generally, we urge all APTA members to meet with their Members of Congress to outline the role that public transportation plays in their community and the nation’s economy and educate them on the need to honor the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by fully funding public transportation in the FY 2025 THUD Appropriations bill.

Most importantly, as we begin the critical work of preparing for and outlining our vision and priorities for the next surface transportation reauthorization bill, we urge APTA members to share stories of the difference that these public transit and passenger rail investments are making in the lives of people in their communities.

We are grateful for the many active APTA members who are advancing public transportation in their communities each and every day. Through it all, we will continue to rely on your great ideas, persistence, and dedication as we work together to transform our communities through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.