Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 15, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: FEDERAL AND STATE REPORT
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE October 2026 Federal and State Legislative Report.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Executive Management Committee
Remarks Prepared by Raffi Haig Hamparian
Government Relations, Executive Officer: Federal Affairs
Chair Bass and members of the Executive Management Committee, I am pleased to provide an update on several key federal matters of interest to the agency. This report was prepared on October 1, 2026, and will be updated, as appropriate, at the Executive Management Committee meeting on October 15, 2026. The status of relevant pending legislation is monitored on the Metro Government Relations Legislative Matrix <https://libraryarchives.metro.net/DB_Attachments/10%20-%20October%202026%20Legislative%20Matrix.pdf>, which is updated monthly.
Surface Transportation Authorization Bill
As was noted in our update provided to the Board last month, the current authorization legislation for our nation’s surface transportation programs, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), enacted in 2021, is set to expire on September 30, 2026. H.R. 6500, the continuing resolution (CR) enacted by Congress on September 1, 2026, extended the IIJA’s authorities through December 11, 2026, though crucially, it does not extend the advance appropriations included in the IIJA. Consequently, there is expected to be $4.25 billion per year less in federal funds for transit available after September 30, 2026.
While there were determined efforts to adopt a new surface transportation bill in the current 119th Congress, it now appears that the legislation will most likely be considered by the 120th Congress, which will begin on January 3, 2027. As Congress continues to work on a new surface transportation bill, we look forward to keeping the Board informed of our important policy related work in this regard, including our work to promote our Board-approved USA Build Initiative.
Continuing Resolution
As previously noted, Congress adopted and the President signed into law a continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded through December 11, 2026. At the time of the drafting of this report, it appears that both the House and Senate will endeavor to pass a spending measure in the upcoming lame duck session of Congress that will fund federal departments, including the U.S. Department of Transportation, through the end of Federal Fiscal Year 2027, which is September 30, 2027. However, recent historical experience suggests that Congress may not complete FY27 federal spending bills until early calendar 2027, after the new Congress is seated.
Metropolitan Transit Discussion Group Safety and Security Summit
Our CEO Stephanie Wiggins serves as the Co-Chair of the Metropolitan Transit Discussion Group (MTDG), a convening of the largest public transit agencies in the United States. On September 15, 2026, the MTDG hosted a Safety and Security Summit that highlighted the significant advances being made by transit agencies in enhancing safety and security on their systems. A second theme of the summit highlighted the significance of public transit investment to the local and national economies. The summit included the participation of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, the Acting Deputy Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration Matt Cahill, and senior Office of Management and Budget officials. Following a series of roundtables with these officials, the MTDG leadership, including our CEO, held a press conference where they outlined specific progress on safety and security issues, as well as how public investment in transit delivers economic value and well-paid, high-skill employment. Metro’s CEO highlighted the agency’s role in building a new model of transit safety, including hiring a new Chief of Police, who has advanced a people-centered approach on safety and security matters, combining law enforcement with presence and connection to other care-based services and our widely respected ambassador program. Following the press event, the CEO and other MTDG leaders had the opportunity to meet with senior members of Congress on Capitol Hill, including Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA), the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and U.S. Senator Patty Murray, who is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Transit Operator Safety
In full alignment with Metro’s Board-approved 2026 Federal Legislative Program, staff continues to prioritize transit operator safety and maintain active communication with the Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation on this issue. The upcoming reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs presents an important opportunity to advance enhanced protections for transit operators nationwide.
Federal Transportation Grants
Last month, we were pleased to report that our agency secured a $149.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration for the Vermont Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Project, Metro remains committed to aggressively pursuing competitive federal grants to advance a wide range of transit projects and programs.
Also, this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced it is awarding $25 million from the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) program for the State Route 71 Gap Closure Phase 2 Project which is situated in the City of Pomona. The INFRA grant program provides funding for multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of freight and people movement in and across rural and urban areas.
The Project, which includes Measure M funding, will transform State Route 71 (SR-71) expressway into a full-access controlled facility and add one high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane and one mixed-flow lane in each direction. Once constructed, the Project will complete the last phase of the SR-71 corridor improvements by closing a 2-mile gap in the HOV system, resulting in more than 15 miles of HOV lanes, connecting Los Angeles County to Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. In addition, the Project will improve freight flow by elevating two bridges along the SR-71 to enable container stacking at and from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The Project will also enhance the quality of life for the nearby communities by replacing a pedestrian overcrossing, constructing retaining walls and soundwalls, and installing landscaping. The INFRA grant award, provided by the USDOT, will help complete a project that will enhance goods movement throughput, minimize vehicle idling, and eliminate a two-mile bottleneck along the SR-71. The Project supports USDOT objectives of reducing travel times, improving public safety by reducing collisions, and encouraging economic development in a regionally and nationally significant industrial corridor with a growing logistics industry.
Metro thanks U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the USDOT staff for providing this much-needed federal funding for the State Route 71 Gap Closure Phase 2 Project. Our agency also appreciates the support of members of the LA County Congressional Delegation for strongly backing this federal funding request, including Congressman Norma Torres and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff.
In alignment with these efforts, staff continue to work closely with the Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation and key regional partners-including the LA/Orange County Building and Construction Trades Council and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce-to build support for both current and future grant applications.
Executive Management Committee
Remarks Prepared by Madeleine Moore
Government Relations, Deputy Executive Officer: State Affairs
Chair Bass and members of the Executive Management Committee, I am pleased to provide an update on several key state matters of interest to the agency. This report was prepared on October 1, 2026, and will be updated, as appropriate, at the Executive Management Committee meeting on October 15, 2026. The status of relevant pending legislation is monitored on the Metro Government Relations Legislative Matrix <https://libraryarchives.metro.net/DB_Attachments/10%20-%20October%202026%20Legislative%20Matrix.pdf>, which is updated monthly.
Legislative Update
The legislature concluded the 2025-26 session on August 30 and will return for a planning session in December following the elections, before a formal start in January. The Governor has until the end of September to make signing decisions on bills, including Metro’s two pieces of sponsored legislation. Overall, 1,160 bills reached the Governor’s desk this year. Of these, the Governor signed 1,040, for a veto rate of 13.5%. Regarding Metro’s sponsored bills: SB 1361, authored by Senator Durazo, was signed into law by the Governor on September 30. SB 1361 will limit cities’ abilities to take specified actions against transit projects on the basis of opposition to increased density requirements in 2025’s SB 79 (Wiener). These actions include requesting that the transit agency reduce service to that stop so that SB 79 does not apply, condition approval of a project on the basis of the impacts of increased height or density required by SB 79, or withhold support of an application for funding of a transit project on the basis of the additional height or density required by SB 79.
AB 1837 by Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez was also signed into law on September 30. This bill would extend the sunset for transit agencies to use front-facing cameras on buses to capture parking violations in bus-only lanes. Transit agencies would be authorized to use this technology until January 1, 2034, extending the current authorization due to expire in January of 2027.
Both of these bills will take effect on January 1, 2027.
New Member Engagement
Half of the Senate and all Assemblymember offices are up for election in 2026. As current Senators and Assemblymembers spend time in their districts during this time before the new session, Metro will remain engaged with these elected officials and their offices on projects and programs in their districts. Once the election is certified, new Los Angeles County delegation members will receive invitations to meet with the agency to discuss transportation in their districts, along with their legislative priorities for the coming session.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Government Relations will continue reviewing legislation introduced in Sacramento and Washington, DC, to address any equity issues in proposed bills and the budget process. Securing levels of federal transportation funding allows our agency to advance projects that improve equitable access and mobility for the ten million individuals who live, work, and travel throughout Los Angeles County. Mindful that Metro staff have concluded that the OMB’s proposed revisions as to how federal grants are issued will negatively affect the entire grant cycle, we have and will remain engaged with key stakeholders, including the U.S. Congress, to ensure any change to federal grant regulations do not negatively impact our agency.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled_Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through administrative and legislative advocacy activities that will benefit and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. Increased state and federal funding received benefits Metro’s projects and programs to reduce VMT. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Michael Turner, Senior Executive Officer, Government Relations, (213) 922-2122
Raffi Hamparian, Executive Officer, Government Relations, (213) 922-3769
Madeleine Moore, Deputy Executive Officer, Government Relations, (213) 922-4604
Alex Amadeo, Senior Manager, Government Relations, (213) 922-2763
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Nicole Englund, Chief of Staff, (213) 922-7950
