Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
JUNE 18, 2020
Subject
SUBJECT: STATE AND FEDERAL REPORT
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE June 2020 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 June 5, 2020 and will be updated, as appropriate, at the Executive Management Committee meeting on June 18, 2020. Status of relevant pending legislation is monitored on the Metro Government Relations Legislative Matrix, which is updated monthly.
Surface Transportation Reauthorization
On June 4, 2020, Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced H.R. 7095 - Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act. The five year reauthorization bill would replace the FAST Act, which will expire on September 30, 2020. The INVEST in America Act contains many of Metro's Board-approved federal priorities, such as a new freight funding program that is aimed at mega-projects. This new program brings back to life the Projects of National and Regional Significance grant program that was originally authorized under SAFETEA-LU. The bill streamlines the FTA Capital Investment Grant Program by speeding approval of projects that seek less that 60% federal funding. Also included in the proposed bill are changes to incentivize more domestic manufacturing of railcars and buses. Lastly, the bill invests in frontline transportation workforce training and brings back the Local Hire Pilot Program that Metro worked with the Obama Administration to create.
Metro is working - across many departments - to analyze the bill language. We ...
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