Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 20, 2024 11:20 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Ed Neilson |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Temporary Freeze of Local Match Requirement for Any Increased Transit Funding |
| Earlier this year, Governor Shapiro announced that his 2024-25 budget proposal will include the first rise in the state share of public transit funding in over a decade. Governor Shapiro’s proposal will increase the state share of public transit funding by 1.75%, providing an additional investment of $282.8 million statewide. This additional investment is long overdue and will help transit agencies provide public transportation services in all 67 counties that are safe, accessible, and reliable. However, under current law, counties and municipalities are required to provide a local match of up to 15% to receive their state share of public transit funding. By increasing the state share of public transit funding, we will also be increasing the dollar amount of the required local match. This presents some fiscal challenges for our counties and municipalities, who will now need to find additional dollars in their budgets which they may not have initially planned for. To address this issue, my legislation will create a temporary one-year freeze of the local match requirement on any increase to the state share of public transit funding for Fiscal Year 2024-25. As a result, the local match amount for Fiscal Year 2024-25 would not exceed the amount required in Fiscal Year 2023-24. This temporary measure will give our counties and municipalities necessary time to adjust their budgets accordingly so that they can provide the new local match requirement on any increase to the state share of public transit funding once the freeze expires starting in Fiscal Year 2025-26. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. |