THUD FY 2021 bill passes through House committee

The House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2021 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill on Tuesday, July 14.

The legislation provides $158.3 billion in base budgetary resources, as well as $75 billion to support the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, by investing in transportation and housing infrastructure.

Committee members passed the bill by a vote of 30-22.

“The departments and programs funded by the THUD bill are integral to our way of life – housing and transportation connect us to jobs, services and education,” THUD Chair David Price said in a news release. “This year’s THUD bill represents a renewed commitment to improve safety, produce more affordable housing, upgrade our aging transportation networks, and bolster our nation’s resiliency to a changing climate.”

Consistent with the INVEST in America Act, the bill includes budgetary resources for surface transportation programs totaling $78.7 billion.

The bill provides $107.2 billion in total budgetary resources for the Department of Transportation. The amount is an increase of $21.1 billion above FY 2020 and $19.4 billion more than President Donald Trump’s 2021 budget request.

Out of that, $881 million is targeted for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Other notable investments include:

• $1 billion for National Infrastructure Investments.
• $3 million to support the Highly Automated Systems Safety Center of Excellence.
• $10 million for Transportation Planning Grants to assist areas of persistent poverty.
• $61.9 billion for programs funded from the Highway Trust Fund.
• $1 billion for discretionary Highway Infrastructure Programs.
• $1.3 billion for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• $3 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration.

The next step is for the bill to move to a full House vote, but it was unclear when that will happen.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

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• FMCSA extends emergency declaration until Aug. 14.