US House Mulls Fixes to CIG Transit Grants

The House Transportation Committee has begun to consider what the next surface transportation bill will look like, especially for the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA)’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program

The CIG program has been scrutinized by Congress for its complexity and the slow rate of grant issuance by President Trump’s Department of Transportation (DOT).

The CIG program accounts for roughly 20% of the FTA budget, funding commuter rail and bus rapid transit infrastructure across the United States.

However, over the last two years the Trump administration has failed to issue transit grants in a timely manner, providing funding at half the rate of the DOT under President Obama and costing an extra $845 million because of the delays.

Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) & Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) have expressed a desire to streamline the CIG process in the next reauthorization bill for surface transportation.

This Week in the States

• Massachusetts – Carbon tax proposal gaining steam on Beacon Hill
• Utah – Utah delays deadline to pick medical cannabis growers
• Maine – Maine among states regulating ‘autocycles’
• Massachusetts – Plastic bag ban caught in political crosswind 
• New Hampshire – Place your bets: Sports wagering is now legal here
• Pennsylvania – Lawmakers add millions in grant spending to budget
• New Jersey – Signing three bills Murphy adds weapons to war against addiction
• Ohio – Belated state budget includes income tax cut, retains controversial business tax break
• Michigan – What to know about the Michigan minimum wage law before the Supreme Court
• New York – Gov. Cuomo Signs Law Raising NY Smoking Age
• Massachusetts – House speaker says new stopgap state budget may be necessary
• North Carolina – Cooper urges public to push GOP on budget
• Washington – Washington state considers taxing drivers by the mile
• Michigan – Michigan Supreme Court Hears Arguments On “Adopt And Amend” Issue
• Florida – Florida sued over new sanctuary cities law
• North Carolina – Senate Republicans unite against Cooper, say budget is ‘hostage’ to Medicaid expansion
• Wisconsin – Republican leader calls for road-funding veto override
• Oregon – Oregon vowed not to become California — and passed sweeping housing crisis legislation
• Ohio – Ohio Legislature Passes Bill Legalizing CBD Oil And Hemp

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