Mass Transportation Act of 1982

Mass Transportation Act of 1982 - Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from making a discretionary capital grant or loan unless the applicant has sufficient capability to maintain the facilities and equipment purchased with such grant or loan.

Directs the Secretary to make public mass transportation grants to finance the planning, acquisition, construction, improvement, and operating costs of facilities and equipment for use in mass transportation service. Sets forth formulae for apportioning such grants between urbanized areas with populations of more than 200,000 and urbanized areas with populations of less than 200,000.

Limits Federal grants for construction projects to 80 percent of their costs and for project operating expenses to 50 percent of their costs.

Requires a Governor, together with specified officials, to designate a recipient or recipients to receive and dispense funds apportioned for urbanized areas of 200,000 or more.

Authorizes a Governor to transfer a State's apportionment between grant programs authorized under this Act.

Sets forth requirements for recipients to receive grants for urbanized areas, including environmental protection procedures.

Requires recipients to: (1) submit to the Secretary, at a time determined by the Secretary, a statement on the use of funds made available to them; and (2) make available independently conducted reviews and audits as determined necessary by the Secretary. Sets forth penalties for the submission of false or fraudulent statements under this Act.

Reduces the Federal share of net projects costs of discretionary capital grants from 80 percent to 70 percent.

Provides that appropriations for the long-range program of the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 shall be authorized as necessary for administrative costs.

Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1983 through 1986 for: (1) research, development, and demonstration projects; (2) grants for managerial, technical and professional training programs; and (3) grants for research and training in urban transportation problems.

Authorizes the Secretary to make capital grants to States and local public bodies for repair or replacement of public transportation equipment and facilities damaged by natural disaster or catastrophic occurrence. Sets forth conditions for approval of such grants. Authorizes the Secretary to pay up to 100 percent of the net project costs.

Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1982 through 1986 to finance grants established under this Act and to finance grants for areas other than urbanized areas.

Requires authorized appropriations for grants for construction or operating assistance for the urban mass transit program to remain available for expenditure until September 30, 1985.

Requires the Secretary, in making grants for research and training in urban transportation problems, to give preference to public and private nonprofit organizations (currently, to institutions of higher learning).

Revises the definition of a fixed guideway to include a public transit facility which uses a fixed catenary system and a right-of-way rail usable by other forms of transportation.

Includes grants established under this Act in the public mass transportation reporting system and uniform system of accounts.

Requires that unobligated or deobligated amounts remaining available for grants for areas other than urbanized areas after September 30, 1982, be added to amounts available for apportionment for such areas under this Act.