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    1. Management

    FY2020 THUD bill approved by House Appropriations Committee

    June 5, 2019
    The legislation continues historic funding levels for public transportation as it passes out of committee.
    Capitoldome Mwaneklibman

    The House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2020 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) bill with a vote of 29 to 21 on June 4. The legislation was approved in subcommittee on May 23 and now moves to the floor of the House of Representatives.  

    According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the legislation provides $13.5 billion public transportation and $2.7 billion for passenger rail. Additionally, language in the bill prohibits the Federal Railroad Administration from recovering funds provided to the California high-speed rail project.

    U.S. Rep. David Price (D-NC), chair of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, said, “We continue the model established by this subcommittee in the last two fiscal years by providing $3 billion in additional discretionary resources above the FAST Act authorized levels for highways, transit, and aviation projects. This funding will benefit every state and territory in the nation by making new projects possible or accelerating existing ones.”

    APTA says the legislation’s inclusion of $16.3 billion in grants for public transportation and passenger rail is more than $1 billion more than the FY 2020 FAST Act authorization and $150 million more than the 2019 THUD Appropriations Act. The bill also includes an administrative provision that prohibits a 12 percent cut to public transportation formula grants in FY 2020.

    Some of the bill’s highlights include:

    • $1 billion for National Infrastructure Investments (TIGER/BUILD), $100 million above the 2019 enacted level
    • $3 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration, which includes $350 million for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements; $350 million for Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair and $13 million for Positive Train Control support.
    • $2 billion for Amtrak, which includes $700 million for Northeast Corridor Grants and $1.3 billion for National Network Grants
    • $13.5 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, which includes $2.3 billion for Capital Investment Grants (CIG) and $750 million for Transit Infrastructure Grants
      • The Transit Infrastructure Grants include $389 million for Bus and Bus Facility Program and $94 million in Low or No Emission Bus Program

    APTA explained that in addition to the $2.3 billion for the CIG Program, the bill requires the FTA to obligate 80 percent of these dollars by December 31, 2021. It also includes language on FTA changes to the approval process for CIG grants.

    About the Author

    Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

    Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

    Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content. 

    She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.  

    She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.

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