What’s New @

FTA and Region III

Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association

Spring Conference

April 24, 2019

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Overview• FTA Updates

Terry Garcia Crews, Regional Administrator

• Triennial Review Changes & TrendsTony Cho, Director of Program Management & Oversight

• Certifications & AssurancesMonique Myatt Galloway, Regional Counsel

• Civil Rights UpdatesLynn Bailey, Regional Civil Rights Officer

• Discretionary Grant NOFOsGail McFadden-Roberts, Special Assistant

• Section 106: Program Exemptions

– Dan Koenig, Community Planner

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FTA Highlights

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FTA Updates

• Agency wide Updates

– FTA Priorities

– Status of FY 2019 Funds

• Region III Updates

• Pennsylvania Highlights

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• Each “operator of a public transportation system” that receives Federal financial assistance under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53, including recipients and sub-recipients

Would Apply to…

• A transportation operator that only provides service closed to the general public and only available for a particular clientele

• Commuter rail service regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration

• Passenger ferry service regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard

Would Not Apply to…

Public Transportation Agency Safety

Plan

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Region III Award Activity

FY2018 Awards

# Awards # Recipients $ Obligated

Region III Total 149 55 $1.51B

Pennsylvania Total

49 21 $499.4M

Pennsylvania Remainder of Region III

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Stakeholder Outreach

Triennial Reviews:

Changes and Trends

Tony Cho

Director, Office of Program Management

& Oversight

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Process Changes implemented in

FY2018• Recipient Information Request (RIR), formerly known as the

Grantee Information Request (GIR)

– RIR includes a listing of documents and a few questions to

provide reviewers information on a recipient’s transit

program

• More focus on technical assistance

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What Is Included in the

Information Request (RIR)Redesigned to significantly reduce recipient’s level of effort

required for completion

Recipient Profile Information• Basic information about the recipient that FTA uses to better understand

the institutional and operating structure, and to help determine applicability

of oversight requirements

Recipient Information Request• A list of documents and answers to specific questions needed to assess a

recipient’s compliance

• Reviewers will provide targeted questions and follow-up items

Representative Site Visit Schedule• Draft site visit schedule that lists the areas to be discussed and the

approximate time for discussion (final schedule to be provided

before the site visit)

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Procurement, 37%

DBE, 26%

ADA - General, 7%

ADA - Complementary Paratransit , 6%

EEO, 6%

Procurement

Disadvantaged BusinessEnterprise

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – General

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – Complementary Paratransit

Equal Employment Opportunity

FY18 TR/SMR Findings - Region III

Certifications

and

Assurances

Monique Myatt Galloway

Regional Counsel

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FTA Certifications & Assurances

for Grants and Cooperative

Agreements

Brief Refresher:

• Purpose of “Certifications and Assurances”

• Certification Categories

• “Pinning” Certifications and Assurances

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FTA Certifications & Assurances

• FY2019 Certifications and Assurances

–Changes to 2019 Certifications and Assurances

• Significant reduction in length and redundancy

• Provides the governing statute or regulation prior to each

certification category

• Eliminated nine certifications that were not required by

law pre-award

• For more, visit: https://www.transit.dot.gov/

– Funding » Grants » Certifications and Assurances

Civil Rights Updates

Lynn A. Bailey

Regional Civil Rights Officer

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DBE Semi-Annual Uniform

ReportsRecent Changes:

• September 2018: TrAMS creates DBE Report

Records instead of DBE Task

– Agency staff with Civil Rights role receives an

email with a link

Remaining the Same:

• Fillable DBE Semiannual Report form in TrAMS

is the same

Semi-Annual Uniform ReportsNEW FEATURE!!!

Correct Old Reports in TrAMS!

• Reporting errors (deficiencies) must be

corrected in TrAMS

• Request an amendment from the RCRO

• Amended report has updated version

number

• Original report preserved in TrAMS

• Also, Project Specific Goals reported in

TrAMS

No More Excel Templates to Complete!

DBE Goal Methodology

Training Webinar

UPCOMING: mid-May thru June, 2019

Audience:

– All recipients with a DBE goal methodology due August 1st

– Check the Civil Rights Dashboard: Related Actions | Civil

Rights | DBE Goal

Purpose:

– To provide technical assistance on the minimum required

elements to be included in the methodology

– Share a proposed timeline of goal development

EEO Circular - ComplianceEEO Circular – Updated October, 2016

• Submission Schedule:

– Recipients must submit

updated EEO programs

based on updated

circular

– Check due dates

3/1/2018 or 3/1/2020

– Subsequent programs

due on a quadrennial

basis (every 4 years)

– Compliance considered

during 2019 Triennial

Reviews

Notice of Funding Opportunity:

Hot Buttons & Tips

Gail McFadden-Roberts

Special Assistant

Office of Region III Administrator

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Before Applying

• Review FAQs

• Obtain FTA program office assistance

• Participate in Webinars

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When Applying

• Demonstrate relevance by criterion

• Support assertions with documentation

• Use available resources

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After Applying

• Monitor FRN and FTA website

• Understand other factors

• Request a debrief

Section 106 Exemption

Dan Koenig

Community Planner

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Section 106 – National Historic

Preservation Act• Directs Federal agencies to consider the

effects of undertakings on historic properties

• Undertakings are federally-funded projects,

permit actions, other federal approvals

• FRA, FTA, and FHWA provide federal financial

assistance to project sponsors

• The Section 106 process is often the critical

path for FTA projects

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Activity-Based ApproachFor use when:

• Project is located within Rail ROW in part or in

full

• Undertaking is an activity listed in Appendix A

• Maintenance, upgrades, repairs, and improvements

• Applicable to all properties involving Rail ROW,

regardless of historic eligibility or listing

Available for use immediately

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What FTA Will Need to Approve:a) Documentation – Project Description, maps,

delineation of the Rail ROW, plans, justification

anytime a resource must be replaced instead of

repaired

b) FTA determines applicability of Program

Comment

c) Should be requested at onset of project

d) FTA remains responsible for conducting Section

106 where the Program Comment does not

apply

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…

FTA Agency One-on-Ones

2nd Story of Montgomery House,

Founders Room (L2)

After lunch today!

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Contact your FTA Region III Office

215-656-7100

At Your Service

Federal Transit Administration

www.transit.dot.gov