RECEIVE update on federal transportation legislation and SUPPORT the California Consensus Federal Transportation Reauthorization Principles on behalf of the TAMC Board of Directors.

The current federal transportation authorization act expires in September 2020. The Senate has taken the first step by introducing a five-year reauthorization bill.

Federal funding is key for major transportation projects, and the newly introduced authorization bill increases federal funding in several categories, and adds new programs that have never been a part of federal authorization bills.

On July 30, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed America's Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019 (S. 2302), a five-year, $287 billion authorization bill. Web attachment 1 is the summary from the Committee and web attachment 2 is an analysis from the Transportation for America Blog. Key programs include:

• New competitive bridge repair grant program: $6 billion
• Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grants for nationally significant freight and highway projects: $5.5 billion
• New competitive resiliency grant program: $4.9 billion
• Incentive program to lower highway carbon emissions: $3 billion
• Competitive grants for alternative fuel infrastructure: $1 billion
• Incentive program to lower driver and pedestrian fatalities: $500 million
• Program to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions: $250 million
• Congestion relief program competitive grant program: $200 million
• Codifies the “One Federal Decision” policy to streamline project delivery and federal approvals

The Committee's action is the first step in reauthorizing transportation programs currently set to expire under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act on September 30, 2020. Rail, safety, transit, and finding the funding to replenish the Highway Trust Fund are the jurisdiction of the Senate Commerce, Banking, and Finance Committees, and will be added to the reauthorization bill at a later date.

The Self-Help Counties Coalition is asking member agencies to sign on to a list of California consensus principles for the reauthorization act (web attachment 3) by September 13. These principles are in alignment with TAMC's adopted legislative program and staff recommends the Executive Committee act on behalf of the TAMC Board of Directors to support the principles.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) Government Affairs Committee, of which Executive Director Hale is a member, has prepared a federal transportation reauthorization policy (web attachment 4) that it has asked the APWA Board of Directors to adopt. Staff is reviewing the Senate bill to determine which requested provisions from both documents are included and which are left out of the measure. 

• Senate Environment and Public Works Committee summary
• T4America Blog Post, "The good, the bad, and the ugly in the Senate's long-term transportation bill"
• California Reauthorization Principles - DRAFT
• APWA Transportation Reauthorization Policies - DRAFT