Where transit stands with COVID-19 relief bill and FY21 omnibus legislation

[marmar]

Congress extended its pre-Christmas session to reach a $1.4-trillion deal to fund the federal government through September 2021 and provide $900 million in COVID-19 emergency funding relief. Both the House and Senate were expected to vote and pass the legislation only hours after the 5,593-page package was published.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the package “a good bipartisan bill” on the House floor Monday morning, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement Sunday that read in part “as our citizens continue battling the coronavirus this holiday season, they will not be fighting alone.”

What does the package include for the transit and passenger rail industry? Mass Transit has broken its analysis into two parts, the first dealing with the emergency relief funding and the second with the omnibus legislation.

Emergency relief funding

The relief package includes $45 billion for transportation. Transit, passenger rail and private transportation providers, such as motorcoach companies, will receive $17 billion of those funds.

Transit accounts for $14 billion, which is $1 billion less than the bipartisan, bicameral proposal from earlier in the month. ..........(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/management/article/21203606/where-transit-stands-with-covid19-relief-bill-and-fy21-omnibus-legislation