Pennsylvania House Bill HB1510

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/30/25
• Refer: 5/30/25

Caption

In sustainable mobility options, further providing for definitions, for fund, for application and approval process, for Federal funding, for coordination and consolidation, for operating program, for asset improvement program, for new initiatives program, for programs of Statewide significance and for program oversight and administration, providing for small purchase threshold and repealing provisions relating to evaluation of private investment opportunities.

Summary

HB1510 revises Pennsylvania’s sustainable mobility options provisions in Title 74 to update how public transportation funding is defined, allocated, administered, and reported. The bill modernizes several statutory definitions, including transit entity classes, community transportation service, operating expenses, performance targets, and transit asset management concepts. It also revises application and waiver rules for financial assistance, updates fare-adjustment policy language, and changes how the Department of Transportation may issue guidance and approve the use of grant funds. A major feature of the bill is a restructuring of rural transit funding and oversight. It directs the department to distribute at least 70% of the state’s federal Formula Grants for Rural Areas funding to eligible class 3 and class 4 transit entities with rural service areas, sets application and reporting requirements, and authorizes temporary regulations and later final regulations. The bill also updates operating, capital, and statewide significance programs, adds a small purchase threshold for transit agencies, and repeals the existing requirement that larger transit systems study private investment opportunities.

Impact

The bill would amend multiple sections of Title 74 governing public passenger transportation funding and administration. It changes how local transportation organizations qualify for and use operating and capital assistance, expands the role of transit asset management and planning studies, adjusts local match rules to allow certain non-fare transit revenue and private/local contributions, and creates a new statutory procurement option for smaller purchases. It also repeals the private investment feasibility study requirement, while adding new reporting obligations for PennDOT and new distribution rules for rural federal transit funds.

Sentiment

The bill appears generally supportive of transit agencies, especially rural and smaller systems, by increasing flexibility in funding use, strengthening planning support, and directing a larger share of rural federal funds to eligible subrecipients. The inclusion of protections for SEPTA and PAAC funding shares suggests an effort to preserve existing major-system allocations while broadening support elsewhere. No committee transcript or vote history was provided, so there is no recorded formal debate or roll-call sentiment to assess beyond the bill text itself.

Contention

The most notable policy tension is between greater flexibility for transit agencies and stronger state oversight of how funds are used. The bill relaxes some restrictions on waivers, local matching funds, and procurement, but also requires planning studies, performance targets, and detailed reporting. Another likely point of contention is the rural funding allocation formula and the 70% minimum for class 3 and class 4 entities, which could affect how funds are distributed among transit providers. The repeal of the private investment study requirement may also be viewed differently by supporters of privatization versus those favoring public or nonprofit transit delivery.