Make Transportation Authorities Accountable and Transparent Act
This bill, the Make Transportation Authorities Accountable and Transparent Act, would require the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Transportation to audit how federal funds were used by a small set of large public transit systems that received pandemic-era relief money. Specifically, it directs the IG to review the five transit agencies with the most unlinked passenger trips in 2019 (as reported to the National Transit Database) that received funds under several COVID-19 relief laws, covering the five fiscal years ending before the bill’s enactment. The audit must document how much funding was received under each applicable law and how that money was spent, and the IG must report the findings to Congress within 180 days of enactment. The bill defines the applicable laws and key terms like “public transportation” and “specified transit agency.”
Key Points
- 1The Act creates a watchdog audit: The DOT Inspector General must audit funds provided to the five specified transit agencies for the five fiscal years ending before enactment.
- 2Scope of funding checked: Audits cover federal funds from listed programs/laws, including CH 53 of title 49 U.S.C., CARES Act, CRRSA Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
- 3What the audit must report: For each agency, the audit should state how much money was received under each applicable law and provide a description of how the funds were spent.
- 4Deadline for reporting: The IG must deliver the audit results to Congress no later than 180 days after enactment.
- 5Definitions to orient scope: The bill clarifies what counts as “public transportation,” what counts as “applicable laws,” and who qualifies as a “specified transit agency” (the top five agencies by unlinked passenger trips in 2019, per the National Transit Database, that received federal funds under the listed laws).