Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
APRIL 16, 2020
Subject
SUBJECT: STATE AND FEDERAL REPORT
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE State and Federal Legislative Report.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Executive Management Committee
Remarks Prepared By Raffi Haig Hamparian
Government Relations Senior Director, Federal Affairs
Chair Butts and members of the Executive Management Committee, I am pleased to provide an update on several federal matters of interest to our agency. This report was prepared on April 8, 2020 and will be updated, as appropriate, at the Executive Management Committee meeting on April 16, 2020. Status of relevant pending legislation is monitored on the Metro Government Relations Legislative Matrix, which is updated monthly.
COVID-19 Pandemic - Federal Response
Last month, our agency - at the direction of our Chief Executive Officer - worked closely with the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate as they worked to adopt The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The legislation - which was signed into law by the President - includes over $2 trillion in COVID-19 related funds, including hundreds of billions of dollars for direct payments to Americans, billions of dollars to bolster the nation's unemployment insurance programs, and billions of dollars to bolster the transit industry, among many other national fiscal priorities. An effort by Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) to call a roll call vote on the COVID-19 legislation failed - and the House promptly adjourned until March 31, 2020.
Specifically, for transit agencies nationwide, the bill is providing $25 billion through sections 5307, 5311, 5337, and 5340 of title 49, United States Code. According to preliminary estimates by Metro's professional staff, our agency may receive approximately $710 to $810 million in assistance through S. 3548 - with specific terms on how these funds can be spent on matters...
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