Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 15, 2020
Subject
SUBJECT: STATE AND FEDERAL REPORT
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE October 2020 State and Federal Legislative Report.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Executive Management Committee
Remarks Prepared by Raffi Haig Hamparian
Government Relations Senior Director, Federal Affairs
Chair Garcetti 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 September 18, 2020 and will be updated, as appropriate, at the Executive Management Committee meeting on October 15, 2020. Status of relevant pending legislation is monitored on the Metro Government Relations Legislative Matrix, which is updated monthly.
Federal Emergency Funding Package
Since Congressional and White House agreement on the CARES Act in March, negotiations on additional federal assistance related to COVID-19 remain at a standstill - though recently have shown signs of progress. Several compromise plans have been floated by congressional stakeholders recently - including a proposal issued earlier this week by the Congressional Problem Solvers Caucus, but a path forward remains uncertain. Metro will continue to advocate for direct funding to transportation agencies in any COVID-19 package advanced by Congress.
Surface Transportation Reauthorization
On June 4, 2020, Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced H.R. 7095 (Now H.R.2) - 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 is set to expire in a matter of days - 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 ...
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