Department of Transportation Grants: FY15 Supplemental Capital and Debt Service Grants and Americans with Disabilities Act Grant to Amtrak

The Full Year Appropriations Act, 2014 included funding for capital and debt service expenses associated with the operation of intercity passenger rail service and these expenses were correspondingly funded in the FY 2015 Continuing Resolution. As a result, the FY 2015 Continuing Resolution provided capital and debt service assistance funds for the October 1, 2014 – December 11, 2014 period totaling $205,029,026 (after factoring in authorized withholdings of $985,953 for expenses associated with implementing section 212 of division B of Public Law 110-432, including the amendments made by section 212 to section 24905 of title 49, United States Code and $1,035,251 for expenses relating to the costs of project management and oversight activities authorized by subsections 101(a) and 101(c) of division B of Public Law 110-432) of which not to exceed $39,240,948 shall be for the Grantees debt service payments and not less than $9,859,535 shall be for capital expenditures related to bringing facilities and stations that the Grantee serves into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and up to $7,887,628 may be used by the Secretary to subsidize operating losses of the Grantee should the funds provided for the Grantee’s operating grants be insufficient to meet operational costs for fiscal year 2015.

On December 13, 2014, Congress passed the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. No. 113-235, December 16, 2014), which made appropriations to various federal agencies for Fiscal Year 2015. Title I of Division K of the Consolidated and Further Appropriations Act, 2015 (the “DOT Appropriations Act, 2015”) made appropriations for Fiscal Year 2015 available to the Secretary providing an additional amount of $924,270, 974 thus bringing the total FY 2015 Capital, Debt Service and Americans with Disabilities Act funding to an amount of $1,129,300,000 (after factoring in authorized withholdings of $5,000,000 for expenses associated with implementing section 212 of division B of Public Law 110-432, including the amendments made by section 212 to section 24905 of title 49, United States Code and $5,700,000 for expenses relating to the costs of project management and oversight activities authorized by subsections 101(a) and 101(c) of division B of Public Law 110-432 (“PRIIA)) for capital investments as authorized by sections 101(c), 102 and 219(b) of PRIIA to remain available until expended, of which not to exceed $175,000,000 shall be for debt service obligations as authorized by section 102 of PRIIA and not less than $50,000,000 shall be made available to bring facilities and stations the Grantee serves into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and up to $50,000,000 may be used by the Secretary to subsidize operating losses of the Grantee should the funds provided for the Grantee’s operating grants be insufficient to meet operational costs for Fiscal Year 2015.

The Full Year Appropriations Act, 2014 included funding for capital and debt service expenses associated with the operation of intercity passenger rail service and these expenses were correspondingly funded in the FY 2015 Continuing Resolution. As a result, the FY 2015 Continuing Resolution provided capital and debt service assistance funds for the October 1, 2014 – December 11, 2014 period totaling $205,029,026 (after factoring in authorized withholdings of $985,953 for expenses associated with implementing section 212 of division B of Public Law 110-432, including the amendments made by section 212 to section 24905 of title 49, United States Code and $1,035,251 for expenses relating to the costs of project management and oversight activities authorized by subsections 101(a) and 101(c) of division B of Public Law 110-432) of which not to exceed $39,240,948 shall be for the Grantees debt service payments and not less than $9,859,535 shall be for capital expenditures related to bringing facilities and stations that the Grantee serves into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and up to $7,887,628 may be used by the Secretary to subsidize operating losses of the Grantee should the funds provided for the Grantee’s operating grants be insufficient to meet operational costs for fiscal year 2015.

On December 13, 2014, Congress passed the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. No. 113-235, December 16, 2014), which made appropriations to various federal agencies for Fiscal Year 2015. Title I of Division K of the Consolidated and Further Appropriations Act, 2015 (the “DOT Appropriations Act, 2015”) made appropriations for Fiscal Year 2015 available to the Secretary providing an additional amount of $924,270, 974 thus bringing the total FY 2015 Capital, Debt Service and Americans with Disabilities Act funding to an amount of $1,129,300,000 (after factoring in authorized withholdings of $5,000,000 for expenses associated with implementing section 212 of division B of Public Law 110-432, including the amendments made by section 212 to section 24905 of title 49, United States Code and $5,700,000 for expenses relating to the costs of project management and oversight activities authorized by subsections 101(a) and 101(c) of division B of Public Law 110-432 (“PRIIA)) for capital investments as authorized by sections 101(c), 102 and 219(b) of PRIIA to remain available until expended, of which not to exceed $175,000,000 shall be for debt service obligations as authorized by section 102 of PRIIA and not less than $50,000,000 shall be made available to bring facilities and stations the Grantee serves into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and up to $50,000,000 may be used by the Secretary to subsidize operating losses of the Grantee should the funds provided for the Grantee’s operating grants be insufficient to meet operational costs for Fiscal Year 2015.