Public Transportation Amendments of 1980
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
Public Transportation Amendments of 1980 - Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to purchase buses and related equipment and to make grants for such buses and equipment to States and public bodies for use in public transportation service. Authorizes funds for purchases made under this Act. Directs such purchases to be based upon projections of the needs of such States and public bodies. Authorizes the Secretary to grant such buses and related equipment to States and local public bodies. Orders such grants to comply with statutory requirements applicable to grants under the Act. Directs State or local public bodies which receive such grants to provide at least 20 percent of the net project cost in cash or in-kind contributions. Directs that cash shall be returned to the Urban Mass Transportation Fund and shall be available for the purposes of this Act when so provided in an appropriations act. Limits the availability of sums appropriated for specified purposes. Increases and extends authorization of appropriations for: (1) specified grant and loan programs; (2) administrative costs; (3) construction or operating assistance in urbanized areas; and (4) the purchase of buses and related equipment through fiscal year 1985. Limits the amount of funds which may be used for human resource programs as they apply to public transportation activities. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on authorization requests. Directs the Secretary to apportion incentive grants to urbanized areas. Sets forth requirements for such incentive grants. Decreases the Federal grant for the payment of operating expenses of public mass transportation systems. Redefines the term "fixed guideway" for the purposes of this Act. Allots to specified States in each fiscal year a specified amount of the sums appropriated for such fiscal years under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to establish safety standards for use during the investigation of unsafe conditions in the facilities or operation of a transit system under this Act. Directs the Secretary to require the State, local public body, or agency seeking Federal assistance to submit a plan for correcting such unsafe facility or operation. Authorizes the Secretary to withhold financial assistance to such bodies until such plan is approved or implemented.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on March 25, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 25, 1980: Referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
HARRISON WILLIAMS (D-NJ) introduced it on March 25, 1980. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 25, 1980, 16970 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16970 days ago, on March 25, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers