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American Public Transportation Association (APTA) officials are “encouraged” that U.S. House leaders appear to support efforts to maintain dedicated federal funding for mass transit, APTA President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Melaniphy said in a prepared statement.

Earlier this month, the House Ways and Means Committee passed a measure that would remove the Mass Transit Account from the Highway Trust Fund as part of the House’s proposed five-year, $260 billion surface transportation authorization legislation. APTA has been lobbying aggressively to restore the account, which the bill would replace with a less predictable funding source. Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, the mass transit fund dedicates a portion of the federal gas tax to support public transit capital investments.

“We are pleased that the Congress will continue the overwhelming bipartisan support for dedicated federal investment in public transit that has existed for nearly 30 years,” Melaniphy said.

Meanwhile, the Senate is expected to resume debate this week on a proposed two-year, $109 billion surface transportation authorization bill, which does not call for removing transit funding from the Highway Trust Fund.