Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
MAY 21, 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
Federal 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 May 7, 2020 and will be updated, as appropriate, at the Executive Management Committee meeting on May 21, 2020. Status of relevant pending legislation is monitored on the Metro Government Relations Legislative Matrix, which is updated monthly.
COVID-19 Pandemic - Federal Response
In March, 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. Specifically, for transit agencies nationwide, the bill is providing $25 billion through sections 5307, 5311, 5337, and 5340 of title 49, United States Code. Metro is working with relevant federal authorities, including but not limited to, the U.S. Department of Transportation and members of the Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation, to ensure our agency takes all reasonable and prudent steps to allocate these important federal resources to their highest and best use in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, the House of Representatives is not in session, but Speaker Pelosi has said she is working to introduce new legislation in the House that will build on the CARES Act and specifically aim to support states and municipalities. As this debate continues in Washington, DC, Metro is working closely with the large transit agencies in the United States and the American Public Transportat...
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