On May 15, the House Appropriations Transportation, House & Urban Development (THUD) Subcommittee released its fiscal year 2019 funding bill, which provides significant increases for infrastructure programs at the U.S.Department of Transportation (DOT).  As requested by AGC and our partners in the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC), the bill provides funding levels authorized by the FAST Act for highways ($45.27 billion) and transit ($9.939 billion plus $2.614 billion for Capital Investment Grants).  Additionally, the bill provides an extra $4.25 billion highway supplement from the general fund. Of that amount, $3.8 billion will be distributed via formula as apportioned under the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, and $250 million is for highway safety projects. This new money equates to an 11% increase, $49.5 in highway formula funding in fiscal year 2019.
The bill also includes $750 million for BUILD Grants (formerly known as TIGER), representing a $250 million cut from fiscal year 2018 but a $250 million increase over 2017 levels.  In terms of aviation, the bill is status quo, with a $500 million exception. The additional $1 billion included in the fiscal year 2018 bill has been cut to $500 million in 2019.
The bill is likely to be considered by the Full Appropriations Committee next week, where AGC will continue to weigh-in and ensure that these significant increases are realized.
For more information, contact Sean O’Neill at [email protected] or (202) 547-8892.