DART’s newest rail construction plans have cleared their first major hurdle with the federal government, but the biggest battles to get $700 million in guaranteed federal funding remain.
In addition, the question of whether federal officials will approve plans to run a rail line into Love Field airport has yet to be resolved. But an answer should come soon.
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Spend any time around transportation leaders in the state these days and it won’t be long before you hear the chapter and verse of Texas highways, a line of reasoning recited with liturgical certainty and remarkable consistency.
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Latest news on Senate Banking Committee, Senate Finance Commitee, leading up to the real thing. Thanks to APTA for much of the content that follows:
Public Transportation Division at TxDOT has issued the following guidance on attending previously announced video conferencing hearings regarding changes in state and federal funding formulae for small urban and rural transit systems. These video meetings will be held across the state at each TxDOT District Office on Feb. 10, 2004. Please read the following documents in .pdf format (Adobe Reader). Need Adobe Reader? Download your software at “Reader”:http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
Cover letter: Download file
Public Notice: Download file
Formula Explanation (Narrative):
Download file
Formula (visual): Download file
Video Conference Instructions: Download file
In a Legislative Alert last Friday, APTA and TTA advised its members that the Senate Finance Committee was about to mark up the tax title of the TEA 21 reauthorization bill with a funding increase for highways but no funding for transit beyond what the Mass Transit Account would provide, some $33 billion. Thanks to the leadership of the Senate Banking Committee, and the transit industry’s response to these Alerts, the Senate Finance Committee marked up the bill yesterday with a new version that would provide $56.5 billion over the six-year life of the bill for transit. The federal transit program would receive $47 billion from the Trust Fund which is “paid for” with offsets. The remaining amount - $9.5 billion - would come from the General Fund and would be guaranteed and firewalled. The leadership of the Senate Banking and Environment and Public Works Committees will offer an amendment to add the guarantees and firewalls for both highways and transit by amendment during floor debate on the bill.
Debate on reauthorization began today, Feb. 3!
View the proposal as analyzed by the American Public Transportation Association (”APTA”:http://www.apta.com ): Download file
