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, 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 Resolutio...
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