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The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have returned from recess and resumed work on their legislative agendas for the year. The Senate likely will focus on appropriations bills for FY2008 — including the Transportation Appropriations Bill, which could be considered by the full Senate early as next week, according to American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President Bill Millar in his weekly “President’s Letter.”

The House already has completed its work on the transportation bill, funding the federal transit program at $9.7 billion, an 8.4 percent increase compared with FY2007 and the full amount authorized under SAFETEA-LU. But the Senate appropriations committee has called for funding the New Starts/Small Starts program at about $134 million short of the authorized level, Miller wrote, adding that APTA has urged Senators to fully fund the transit program, including the “Starts” program, at the SAFETEA-LU level.