Following action by both the House and the Senate Appropriations Committees, a $3.3 billion gap for U.S. DOT appropriations exists between the respective House and Senate reported bills.
On June 27th, the House Appropriations Committee voted 28-20 to approve the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014.
The House bill funds Federal Transit Formula Programs, from the Mass Transit Account, to the authorized level and cuts Capital Investment Grants to $1.817 billion, while eliminating funding for new projects in FY 2014. Members from both sides of the aisle lamented the reduced ability of the Appropriators to fund important programs due to a reduced budget allocation.
The Senate Appropriations Committee also marked up its version of the THUD Appropriations bill for FY 2014on June 27, passit by a vote of 21-8. Like the House bill, the Senate billfunds Federal Transit Formula Programs at $8.585 billion. However, unlike the House bill, the Senate version funds the general-funded Capital Investment Grants (New Starts) above the authorized level, appropriating $1.943 billion in FY 2014 and provides FTA with the authority to transfer an additional $93 million — for a potential total of $2.006 billion. The Senate bill also inclues $550 million for TIGER grants, the DOT multi-modal discretionary grant program.
Click here to read the APTA legislative alert: http://www.apta.com/gap/legupdatealert/2013/Pages/2013June28.aspx