Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA) recently introduced a new twist on the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program. Ever since Congress established TIGER as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, about three-quarters of funds have gone to large cities and statewide projects and the remaining quarter has been set aside for rural cities.
As a result, small and medium-sized cities, with small and medium-sized projects really haven’t had a seat at the TIGER table. Congressman Larsen’s new bill, “The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery for Cities Underfunded Because Of Size” (TIGER CUBS) Act of 2013 proposes to change all that by setting aside 20 percent of special transportation infrastructure funding specifically for smaller cities. Under the bill, small and medium-sized cities will get a dedicated piece of the pie. The bill would ensure that communities with a population between 10,000 and 50,000 can compete for TIGER CUBS grants for projects as small as $2 million.
While this bill is a great new vehicle for small and medium-sized cities to get smaller road, bridge and highway projects funded, it won’t go far without a lot of support. If you are interested in seeing the TIGER CUBS program feed a dedicated stream of federal dollars to small and medium sized cities, contact me to learn how your community can support this new legislation.