; 126 Stat. 4968) is amended to read as follows: (f) Amount There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation for grants under this section an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,500,000,000 to be available in increments in each fiscal year next occurring until such funding is expended. . II Arbitration 1. National capital area interest arbitration standards Sections 18301 through 18304 of chapter 183 of title 40, United States Code, are amended to read as follows: 18301. Findings and purposes (a) Findings Congress finds that— (1) safe, reliable, and affordable public transportation at sufficient levels is essential to the economic vitality of the national capital area and is an essential component of regional efforts to improve air quality to meet environmental requirements and to improve the health of both residents of and visitors to the national capital area as well as to preserve the beauty and dignity of the Nation’s capital; (2) use of mass transit by both residents of and visitors to the national capital area is substantially affected by the prices charged for mass transit services, prices that are substantially affected by labor costs, since more than 70 percent of operating costs are attributable to labor costs; (3) labor costs incurred in providing mass transit in the national capital area have increased at an alarming rate and are unsustainable in light of the financial condition of interstate Compact agencies providing mass transit services in the national capital area; (4) higher operating costs incurred for public transit in the national capital area cannot be offset by increasing costs to patrons, since this often discourages ridership and thus undermines the public interest in promoting the use of public transit; (5) higher operating costs incurred for public transit in the national capital area cannot be offset by service cuts since this undermines the public interest in promoting the use of public transit and could impact public safety