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Welcome to our Regional Newsletter! We’re including new items and summaries of important FTA events and deadlines in addition to regionally specific news and events. First, be on the lookout for requests to update your contact information and other recipient documents in TrAMS in the upcoming weeks.
I hope everyone in the region is doing well with our first real taste of winter storms. Our hearts go to our colleagues in Region 9, who are dealing with the ongoing California wildfires.
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According to a recent FTA report on transit trends, ridership in the United States continues to increase, growing by more than 17% nationwide from 2022 to 2023. The increase reflects more Americans choosing to take buses, subways, light rail, and other modes to travel to work, school, services, and weekend activities across the country and came as transit agencies better understood ridership needs following travel pattern changes during the pandemic. Learn more.
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The competitive grants through FTA’s Tribal Transit Program enable Tribes to buy transit vehicles, upgrade bus facilities, and expand or improve transit service. TInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes nearly $46 million in competitive funding over five years for the Tribal Transit Program, an increase of nearly 83%. Learn more. |
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The Village of Santee, NE will receive $50,000 in funding as part of the Tribal Transit program to support a planning project to improve its transit bus program. The program is a lifeline for more than 900 residents who rely on it to access jobs, healthcare, and essential services in rural northeast Nebraska. Learn more.
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The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation celebrated the grand opening and ribbon-cutting of a new transportation operations facility in Mayetta, Kansas, after receiving $998,130 in FTA funding. The Tribal Council, including Transportation Director Ivan Rodewald, and Regional Administrator Carrie Butler officially opened the building on the beautiful morning of December 19.
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This year, the updated CIG Reporting Instructions, templates, and standard cost category worksheets are being released in January, reflecting the updated CIG Policy Guidance. This week, FTA will post updated CIG reporting instructions, templates, and standard cost category worksheets on FTA’s website. These documents are updated annually by FTA and should be used by:
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Project sponsors seeking a rating for advancement into the next phase of the CIG process (Engineering or a construction grant agreement);
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Project sponsors seeking a rating at any time other than a formal approval step in the CIG process; and
- Project sponsors who wish to have their project evaluated and rated for consideration as a funding recommendation in the upcoming FY 2027 Annual Report to Congress. The due date for submittal of complete information to FTA for the FY 2027 Annual Report is Friday August 22, 2025.
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January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, an observance to raise awareness about human trafficking and prevent the crime. DOT Federal employees and contractors can now opt-in to report suspected instances of human trafficking using their government furnished equipment and personal devices.
Transportation is a critical connector that can both facilitate and prevent human trafficking. Human traffickers exploit the various modes of transportation in urban, rural, and tribal communities across the United States to recruit and transport their victims. While they’re in transport, you could make a difference.
Thank you for helping to keep our transportation system safe from human trafficking.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation's Build America Bureau recently announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program. Established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the program offers $27 million in technical assistance grants for rural and tribal transportation project planning and design. No local funding match is required, and up to $10 million is allocated for Tribal applicants. Applications will be accepted starting Tuesday, March 4 and are due by April 3. |
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We strongly urge all grantees to upload their Authorizing Resolution and Opinion of Counsel before the March 5, 2025, deadline. On December 6, 2024, FTA’s Associate Administrator of Program Management issued a Dear Colleague letter highlighting that the following two documents must be uploaded to an agency’s profile to support verification of their legal capacity to carry out the project(s) included in federal assistance awards:
- Opinion of Counsel
- Authorizing Resolution
Beginning March 5, 2025, TrAMS will prevent any recipients that have not properly identified the Opinion of Counsel and Authorizing Resolution in their Recipient Document profile from transmitting or submitting new applications unless they have correctly labeled and/or uploaded their required legal documents.
Information on this enhancement and a short tutorial video are available on FTA’s TrAMS webpage.
Partial Year Apportionments
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Contact Information:
901 Locust St
Suite #404
Kansas City, MO 64106
Region 7 | FTA
Business Hours:
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. CT, M-F.
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