Legislative Update
February 4, 2002
Good news! The Administration’s FY 2003 budget request,
released today, honors the Transportation Equity Act for the
21st Century (TEA 21) federal transit program funding
guarantee of $7.2 billion. The budget recognizes transit’s
high ridership levels and its role in reducing congestion. The
chart below shows program funding levels. Note that the budget
proposes to fund two new programs from the transit formula
program: the New Freedom Initiative ($100 million for grants
for alternative methods to promote access to transportation,
and $45 million for a pilot program that promotes innovative
transportation solutions for people with disabilities), as
well as $6 million to support DOT’s efforts "…to bring
together the timely delivery of transportation projects with
the protection and enhancement of the environment." The
budget, as it did last year, proposes to reduce the new starts
program federal share to 50% beginning in FY 2004.
As anticipated, the highway program would be funded at $24
billion, a reduction of almost 30 percent resulting from the
Revenue Aligned Budget Authority’s (RABA) required annual
adjustment based upon estimated gas and related tax receipts.
APTA is supporting efforts to mitigate this steep "negative
RABA" reduction, which would impact funding of all highway
programs, including "flexible funds" available for transit
investments.
|
Program |
FY 2002 |
FY 2003 |
Change from FY 2002 Appropriations to FY 2003 Budget
Request |
| |
Appropriation |
Administration |
| |
|
Budget |
| |
|
Request |
Dollars |
|
| |
(Millions) |
(Millions) |
(Millions) |
Percent |
| Capital Investment |
2,841.0 |
3,036.0 |
195.0 |
6.9 % |
| New Starts |
1,136.4 |
1,214.4 |
78.0 |
6.9 % |
| Fixed Guideway Modernization |
1,136.4 |
1,214.4 |
78.0 |
6.9 % |
| Bus and Bus Facilities |
(a) 568.2 |
607.2 |
39.0 |
6.9 % |
| Formula Funds |
3,592.0 |
3,839.0 |
246.8 |
6.9 % |
| Urbanized Area |
3,216.0 |
3,308.0 |
92.0 |
2.9 % |
| Rural |
224.6 |
231.0 |
6.4 |
2.9 % |
| Elderly and Disabled Persons |
84.6 |
87.0 |
2.4 |
2.9 % |
| Clean Fuels |
(a) 50.0 |
50.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 % |
| Winter Olympic/Paralympic Games |
5.0 |
--- |
- 5.0 |
-100.0 % |
| Alaska Railroad |
4.8 |
4.8 |
0.0 |
0.0 % |
| Over-the-Road Accessibility |
7.0 |
7.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 % |
| Environmental Enhancement |
--- |
6.0 |
6.0 |
New |
| New Freedom Initiative |
--- |
145.0 |
145.0 |
New |
| Job Access and Reverse Commute |
125.0 |
150.0 |
25.0 |
20.0 % |
| Planning and Research |
116.0 |
122.0 |
6.0 |
5.2 % |
| University Transportation Centers |
6.0 |
6.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 % |
| FTA Administration |
67.0 |
76.6 |
9.6 |
14.3 % |
|
Total |
6,747.0 |
7,229.6 |
482.6 |
7.2 % |
|
(a) Does not show $50 million Clean Fuels Formula
Program funds as transferred to Bus and Bus Facilities
Capital Investment Program in the FY 2002 Appropriations
Law in order to maintain comparability with FY 2003
Administration Budget Request. |
For further information, visit www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2003/ to get
on-line access to the budget, or contact Rob Healy at
(202) 496-4811 or rhealy@apta.com.
