[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 166 (Thursday, August 27, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45926-45928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-23146]
[[Page 45925]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part IV
Department of Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
Federal Transit Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
Job Access and Reverse Commute Program; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 166 / Thursday, August 27, 1998 /
Notices
[[Page 45926]]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[Docket # FTA-98-4343]
Job Access and Reverse Commute Program
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation is seeking public advice in
implementing the Jobs Access and Reverse Commute Program authorized in
Section 3037 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
(TEA-21). This notice also includes questions regarding the
implementation of the Job Access/Reverse Commute Program. Responses to
the questions posed are invited.
DATES: Comments must be submitted by September 18, 1998.
ADDRESS: Comments should be sent to the Department of Transportation,
Docket # FTA-98-4343, Central Docket Office, PL-401, 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Birnie, Program Manager, (202)
366-9157.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Program Preparation
The U.S. Department of Transportion (DOT) intends to complete a
program solicitation and guidelines by October 1, when FY 1999 funding
becomes available. Funding availability in early FY 1999 will ensure
that assistance provided pursuant to Section 3037 of TEA-21 may be
applied in a timely fashion to support regional programs creating Job
Access and Reverse Commute services. Limited funding, particularly in
the initial years of the program, may affect funding availability for
some applications.
Although implementing guidelines for the Job Access & Reverse
Commute program are being developed, prospective applicants should
review the legislative criteria as a guide to the preparation of
programs for funding. Please note that the Job Access & Reverse Commute
funding is predicated on the development of local partnerships. A
collaborative transportation/human services planning process must be
established to develop Job Access programs. This process should involve
agencies implementing welfare and work force development programs, non-
profit community based and faith-based organizations, stakeholder
representatives, employers and a variety of existing transportation
providers and agencies. In larger urban areas, Metropolitan Planning
Organizations (MPO) will select applicants and in smaller urbanized and
rural areas, states will select applicants. The programs that are
developed are to be regional in nature, although portions of the
program can be targeted to specific areas within the region. An area
may have one designated recipient for funds, but these funds may be
passed to any number of subrecipients. An operating partnership
involving consultation and use of existing public, private and non-
profit transportation providers, including the area transit agency, is
expected. Using the existing transportation infrastructure reduces
start-up costs and enhances service sustainability. Finally, a
financial partnership is encouraged among the stakeholders. The Job
Access and Reverse Commute program requires a 50/50 match. This program
is considered catalytic funding upon which to assemble additional human
service, transportation and private resources to meet job access
transportation needs.
Funding from other Federal programs may be used as match dollars.
These include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and
Community Services Block grants through the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS) and Welfare to Work (WtW) grants through the
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) as well as the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant
and HOPE VI Grants. TANF and WtW grants, when used as match, may be
used only for new and expanded transportation services and cannot be
used for construction or to subsidized current transportation operating
expenses. Such funds also must supplement rather than supplant other
State expenditures on transportation. Other transportation funds
allocated to transportation agencies by DOT may also be used to address
these transportation needs.
Public Consultation
DOT in conjunction with its other Federal partners desires to
develop a Job Access & Reverse Commute program that is responsive to
the needs of the stakeholders who are implementing welfare reform and
transportation activities. We are seeking your advice on the questions
listed below and other issues related to the implementation of the
program. Although we will not be able to respond directly to individual
comments, we will address collectively the comments received when we
issue the national program solicitation and guidelines. For the
convenience of those individuals and organizations with computer access
to the internet, you may submit your written comments to FTA home page
web site, which may be reached at--http://www.fta.dot.gov/wtw/japc.
Additionally, any public interest organization seeking to elaborate
upon its views with Departmental officials may request a meeting.
Please contact Ms. Corine Hegland, U.S. Department of Transportation at
(202) 366-8850.
Program Purpose
The Jobs Access and Reverse Commute Program provides competitive
grants to local governments and non-profit organizations to develop
transportation services to connect welfare recipients and low-income
persons from their residence to employment and support services.
Program Features
Section 3037 of TEA-21 authorizes a Job Access and Reverse Commute
program. Job Access projects provides transportation services to
connect welfare recipients and low-income persons to jobs and
activities related to employment. Reverse Commute projects provides the
public transportation services to the general public that provide
connections to suburban employment centers from urban centers, rural
areas and other suburban locations.
Criteria for selection include indication of the need for
additional services as identified in the transportation plan and
explanation of the extent to which services will address these needs.
Funding Features
Split funded from both the Mass Transit Account and
General Funds.
Guaranteed funding (Mass Transit Account & general
revenues) increases from $50 million in 1999 to $150 million in 2003.
Not more than $10 million per year may be used for reverse
commute activities.
Provides 50% Federal share.
Other Federal transportation-eligible funds could be used
to meet the local match, including TANF and WtW funding for Access to
Jobs projects.
[[Page 45927]]
Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants
[In millions]
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Year
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1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
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Total Authorization....................................... 0 $150 $150 $150 $150 $150
Guaranteed................................................ 0 50 75 100 125 150
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grant Award Factors
The percentage of population that is welfare recipients.
The need for additional services and the extent to which
the proposed services will address those needs.
Coordination with and use of existing transportation
providers.
Coordination with state welfare agencies implementing the
TANF program.
Use of innovative approaches.
The presence of a regional plan and long term financing
strategies.
Consultation with the community to be served.
The need for additional services identified in the
regional transportation plan for reverse commute.
Eligible Costs
Operating and capital expenses for Job Access
transportation service.
Funds promotion of employer-provided transportation, use
of transit for non-traditional and transit voucher programs.
Eligible Applicants
Local governments, non-profit organizations, and
designated recipients [defined under 49 U.S.C. Section 5307(a)(2)].
MPOs would designate applicants in urbanized areas above
200,000 population; states (state's chief executive officer) would
designate applicants in urbanized areas of 200,000 population or lower
and rural areas.
Job Access and Reverse Commute Program Implementation Questions
Funding Distribution & Program Focus
1. In FY 1999, funding for the Job Access/Reverse Commute Program
may be limited to $50 million. In light of funding constraints, what
grant award strategy should be pursued? Should there be maximum or
minimum grant sizes? Should grants vary by the size of the region,
e.g., major areas with populations over one million, areas between
200,000 and one million, areas between 50,000 and 200,000, non-
urbanized rural areas?
2. Should grants to support local Job Access programs be made on an
annual basis or on a multi-year basis covering several years worth of
local activity? Annual multi-year financial grant commitments must be
made subject to the availability of congressional appropriations.
3. Should Job Access and Reverse Commute funding be considered as
one program where applicants can elect to reserve a percentage of their
funds for reverse commute services--not tied to welfare recipients or
low income person? Or, should the two components be treated as separate
programs operating independently?
4. What steps should FTA take to encourage a broad range of groups,
not limited to its normal mass transit partners, to participate in this
program?
Eligibility Criteria
1. The legislation requires that all grants be subject to the terms
and conditions of FTA's Formula (Section 5307) Program such as the
Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, labor protections and
others. In light of these requirements, what obstacles does this
present for non-traditional grant recipients? What actions, e.g.,
receiving funding as grantee subrecipients, are possible to ensure the
participation of non-traditional recipients in the program?
2. The legislation allows FTA to fund capital and operating costs
and clearly is directed to the development of new and expanded Job
Access and Reverse Commute services. In addition, one of the factors
for consideration in grant award criteria is the need for additional
services.
What activities and services should be included as eligible? Should
any activities or services be specifically excluded?
Welfare block grants (TANF & WtW) and other DOT funds can be used
to purchase transit passes for welfare recipients and low income
persons on existing transit routes and services. Should Job Access and
Reverse Commute also be available to fund transit passes?
3. What criteria should be used for screening candidates? The
legislation spells out eight (8) factors that must be considered in
awarding grants (see program description). Do these factors need
additional definition? How should they be weighted in the rating
process? Are there other criteria that should be addressed? Certain
populations suffer disproportionate unemployment rates. How should
these ``hard-to-serve'' populations be treated in the Job Access and
Reverse Commute Program?
Planning and Evaluation
1. The Job Access and Reverse Commute Program provides funding for
initiating programs whose long-term viability will depend upon
coordinating services and programming traditional sources of funding.
This will necessitate coordinating and integrating the Job Access and
Reverse Commute Program with existing DOT, DHHS, DOL and HUD funding
programs. What issues arise in achieving the blending of resources from
several Federal programs? What incentives and assurances could be
provided to facilitate this?
2. The legislation requires that MPOs select applicants within
urbanized areas with populations over 200,000 and that states select
applicants for urbanized areas with populations at or below 200,000, as
well as rural areas. How should this selection process by MPOs and
states take place and what documentation of participation should be
required to ensure that all stakeholders are involved in project
selection and development? In particular, how should low income
community representatives be involved in developing plans? Should sign-
offs be required?
3. The legislation has a number of planning requirements for the
Job Access/Reverse Commute Program. For example, applicants must
document a regional transportation plan and any project must be
developed by a coordinated Transportation/Human Services planning
process.
Should applicants address each requirement separately or together?
What evidence of a collaborative decisionmaking process at the local
level among transportation, employment and other human service
organizations would satisfy these requirements?
[[Page 45928]]
4. The legislation has a number of coordination requirements.
Applicants must coordinate with the state agency that administers the
state welfare program. Applicants also must coordinate with affected
transit grant recipients and receive approval of such grant recipients.
What guidance should be given? How should this be documented?
5. The General Accounting Office must evaluate the effectiveness of
this program every six months, while DOT must prepare an evaluation
report within two years. What specific performance measures should DOT
use in assessing the effectiveness of this program? How could such data
be obtained and reported?
[Examples might include the number of additional jobs that became
accessible with reasonable commute times, the number of new riders or
new services, or some combination of the two, and area coverage by time
period]
6. What other comments or suggestions can you provide to ensure a
successful Job Access/Reverse Commute Program?
Issued: August 25, 1998.
Gordon J. Linton,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 98-23146 Filed 8-25-98; 12:22 pm]
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