History
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy sent a major transportation message to the U.S. Congress. It called for the establishment of a program of federal capital assistance for mass transportation. Said President Kennedy: "To conserve and enhance values in existing urban areas is essential. But at least as important are steps to promote economic efficiency and livability in areas of future development. Our national welfare therefore requires the provision of good urban transportation, with the properly balanced use of private vehicles and modern mass transport to help shape as well as serve urban growth."
President Lyndon Johnson signed the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 into law, which passed the House by a vote of 212-to-129 and cleared the Senate 52-41, on July 9, 1964, creating the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. The agency was mandated to provide federal assistance for mass transit projects, including the initial $375 million in capital assistance over three years mandated by the act. In 1991, the agency was renamed the Federal Transit Administration.
Read more about this topic: Federal Transit Administration
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