bus - Urban Transit News

Transportation spending bill gives transit a
10.8 percent increase in federal funding.

NEW YORK -- Congress is expected to pass a fiscal year 1999 transportation spending bill this week that will give transit a 10.8 percent increase in federal funding.

The bill was supposed to be finished by the end of September. However, disagreements between the House and Senate on how to allocate discretionary funds held up action. The biggest disagreements involved bus and new start funding.

President Clinton extended the deadline for a new fiscal year budget until Oct. 9 by signing an interim funding bill at current levels.

Nevertheless, both the House and Senate agree on the raw numbers for how much to spend. In other words, $5.315 billion for transit, the same amount guaranteed by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. They also agree on most categories of funding, such as capital expenditures.

Even though the bill lacked the president's signature this week, transit executives at the American Public Transit Association annual meeting already were expressing a sense of accomplishment. "We expect a lot from the bill," said Bill Millar, APTA president. "The funding levels overall will be good for us." Contact: APTA's Amy Coggin at (202) 898-4000. (10/7/98 Urban Transit News)