Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 20, 2018
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 Kuehl and members of the Executive Management Committee, this is an update on a number of federal matters of interest to our agency. This report was prepared on August 30, 2018 and will be updated, as appropriate, at the Executive Management Committee meeting on September 20, 2018. Status of relevant pending legislation is monitored on the Metro Government Relations Legislative Matrix, which is updated monthly.
Federal Grants for Fiscal Year 2018
Metro has submitted applications for two federal grant programs whose deadlines were in the last two months. We have submitted a grant request for the Federal Fiscal Year 2018 Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Program for the 605/91 Interchange project and State Route 71 improvement project. We have also submitted a grant request for the Federal Fiscal Year 2018 Federal Transit Administration's Bus and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Grant Program to replace Metro's last diesel buses with near-zero buses.
In welcome news, earlier this month the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued its Transit Security Grants for Federal Fiscal Year 2018. Of the $88 million allocated nationwide for Transit Security Grants, Metro secured a $6.2 million grant for track and tunnel intrusion technology that will be installed throughout our underground rail stations. We believe this technology will enhance the safety of our rail network.
Federal Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations
We continue to be encouraged by the bi-partisan support that the New Starts program is receiving from Congress as both chambers...
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