Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 16, 2017
Subject/Action
SUBJECT: STATE AND FEDERAL REPORT
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 Director, Federal Affairs
Chairman Fasana and members of the Executive Management Committee, I am pleased to provide an update on a number of federal matters of interest to our agency. This report was prepared on February 2, 2017 and will be updated, as appropriate, at the Executive Management Committee meeting on February 16, 2017.
Federal Grants for Fiscal Year 2017
As we did last year and previously - Metro looks forward to aggressively seeking federal transportation grants - as authorized under the FAST Act.
Late last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the second round of the FASTLANE Grant Program which was created as part of the freight focused funding section of the FAST Act. Metro's FASTLANE grant applications were submitted prior to December 15, 2016 - consistent with the USDOT's stated deadline. Because Congress did not appropriate a full year of funding for transportation projects and programs last year - this second round of FASTLANE grant funding was put on hold. Metro's Government Relations team will continue to work with our Planning Department to advocate for the applications that were submitted. The USDOT's announcement of FASTLANDE grant awards will be made by our nation's new USDOT Secretary Elaine Chao, who was confirmed on January 31st. At this time there is no indication of when this grant will be announced.
Federal Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2017
As Federal Fiscal Year 2016 came to a close on September 30th, Congress was unable to agree on passing a full year funding bill and instead approved a short term Continuing Resolutio...
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