In 2021, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) advanced surface transportation authorization legislation, building on H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, from the 116th Congress. Chairman Peter DeFazio announced that the T&I Committee would formally accept requests for projects from House Members. The T&I Committee process for considering member projects was separate and distinct from the House Committee on Appropriations’ process for considering Community Project Funding requests. Projects funded through the surface transportation authorization would have been funded directly from the Highway Trust Fund, and did not require a separate or subsequent appropriation.
Of note:
- Only legally-eligible entities, including state and local units of government, could request projects.
- Project sponsors needed to comply with all relevant federal laws and regulations.
- A request submitted by Congresswoman Jacobs to the Committee was NOT guarantee to be funded.
- The deadline to submit funding requests was April 21, 2021.
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Project Eligibility
Capital projects eligible under title 23, United States Code, and chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, are eligible for funding requests under T&I’s project submission process.
The best way to ensure project eligibility is to select projects included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) or Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), as those projects have already been certified as eligible for Federal Highway Administration or Federal Transit Administration funding and do not require further verification of eligibility.
For projects not in the STIP or TIP, additional documentation is required, including verification about whether the project can be added to the STIP or TIP in a reasonable timeframe, whether the project is on a long-range transportation plan, and verification of eligibility for the proposed activity under title 23 or chapter 53 of title 49 by the relevant federal agency.
Further, project sponsors must demonstrate the ability to fully obligate any funds provided within the obligation window, and must demonstrate a proven ability to finance the remaining costs not funded by the Committee, as well as the required non-federal cost share.
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Transparency
All requests submitted by Congresswoman Jacobs to the T&I Committee are posted below. Members will be required to certify that neither they nor their immediate family have a financial interest in the requests made.
Project Sponsor: San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)
Project Name/Location: Central Mobility Hub Pre-Construction Project
San Diego, CA 92110
Requested Amount: $12,500,000
Letter of Certification
Outcome: This project was selected by the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee to be included in the relevant legislation, but this project (as well as all Member-Designated Transportation Projects) was removed from the bill by the Senate.