House Appropriations Committee approves transportation funding bill

House Appropriations Committee approves transportation funding bill tbruns Mon, 07/19/2021 - 16:18 The House Appropriations Committee on Friday approved the FY 2022 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) funding bill. For FY 2022, the bill provides a total of $105.7 billion in budgetary resources for the U.S. Department of Transportation—an increase of $19 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level and $18.7 billion above the President’s 2022 budget request, the committee says. “Updating our nation’s aging infrastructure, including our housing stock, is central to our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” THUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David E. Price (D-North Carolina) said in a statement. “This year’s Transportation-Housing and Urban Development funding bill is centered on building a more equitable future. The bill nearly doubles passenger and freight rail investment, solidifying our commitment to more sustainable travel while focusing on climate resilience and mitigation.  According to the committee, the legislation creates and leverages more than 150 million additional jobs in construction and related industries and invests more than $250 million to reduce transportation emissions, increase resiliency, and address historical inequities. The bill includes $1.2 billion for National Infrastructure Investments (RAISE/TIGER/BUILD), an increase of $200 million from FY 2021, including $20 million for Transportation Planning Grants to assist areas of persistent poverty, $10 million above the previous year. An additional $100 million is included for a new grant program to spur thriving communities nationwide. The legislation also includes increases to expand research on ways to create more equitable access to transportation systems, combat climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a 79% increase in cybersecurity initiatives to safeguard transportation systems. It also includes an additional $5 million to support the Highly Automated Systems Safety Center of Excellence to coordinate U.S. DOT’s technical expertise around automated systems. The bill includes $61.9 billion for the Federal Highway Administration for formula programs funded from the Highway Trust Fund that improve the safety and long-term viability of our nation’s highway systems. The legislation also includes $15.5 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, including $12.2 billion for Transit Formula Grants to expand bus fleets and increase the transit state of good repair; $2.5 billion for Capital Investment Grants, to construct more than 23 new transit routes nationwide, an increase of $459 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, and equal to the President’s budget request; and $580 million for Transit Infrastructure Grants, to purchase more than 300 zero emission buses, 400 diesel buses, and to support transformative research for transit systems, an increase of $64 million above the last year.
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