Visiting 30 individual congressional offices

On Tuesday, June 9^th, TRPT gathered together in D.C. ten different organizations from across the country, including our allies from Transportation Equity Network (TEN).  We met with at least 30 meetings with the staff of congressional leaders including

• Barbara Lee, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
• Congressman John Lewis, Chair of the Ways and Means Committee
• House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members including Congressman Russ Carnahan from St. Louis, Congresswoman Laura Richardson of California, Daniel Lipinski of Illinois, and Michael McMahon of New York amongst many others

Congressional Briefing on Transit Operating Funding co-hosted with Rep. Grace Napolitano

TRPT joined by transit industry and transit workers reps

At the briefing, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee member, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano spoke on the importance of greatly expanding permanent transit operating assistance funding in the next federal surface transportation act.

Our room in the Rayburn House Building was filled to capacity with congressional staffers from at least thirty different offices as well as attendees from the progressive community including Transportation for America.

TRPT speakers were joined by:

• Dr. Robert Bullard of the Environmental Justice Resource Center in Clark Atlanta University;
• Robert Healy, Vice President of Government Affairs for the American Public Transportation Association, representing the bus, rapid transit and commuter rail systems industry;
• Jeff Rosenberg, Legislative Director of the Amalgamated Transit Union, representing transit workers in 270 locals across the country.

The briefing presented the intersection of access to mass transit, civil rights, global warming and public health and green jobs.

Speakers from TRPT were:

• Barbara Lott-Holland, member of the Bus Riders Union in Los Angeles,
• Kim Wasserman of Little Village for Environmental Justice Organization in Chicago,
• Soledad Gaztambide of UPROSE in Brooklyn
• Cecil Corbin Mark of WEACT for Environmental Justice in Harlem.

List of Attending Staffers

Governmental Agencies/Offices,

Elected Officials

• Senator John Kerry (MA)
• Senator Richard J. Durbin (Il)
• Representative Chris Van Hollen (MD-8)
• Congressman Scott Murphy (NY-20)
• Congressman Ron Klein (FL-22)
• Congressman James L Oberstar (MN-8)
• Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-11)
• Congressman Pete Stark (CA-13)
• Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (CA-39)
• Congressman Dan Maffei (NY-25)
• Congressman Jim McDermott (WA-7)
• Congressman Howard Berman (CA-28)
• Congressman Eliot Engel (NY-17)
• Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9)
• Congressman Edolphus Towns (NY-10)
• Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34)
• Congressman Anthony Weiner (NY-9)
• Congressman John Dingell (MI-15)
• Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-4)
• Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (NY-4)
• Congressman Daniel Lipinski (Il-3)
• Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-12)
• Congressman Charles Gonzalez (TX-20)
• Congressman Eric Massa (NY-29)
• Environmental Protection Agency

Transit Organizations, Unions

• 21st Century Labor Union
• Transportation Trades Department
• Environment America
• Regional Plan Association
• Coalition for Smarter Growth
• 21st Century Labor Union
• Transportation for America
• Regional Plan Association
• CQ Media
• Streetsblog Media

 Carnahan Bill--A First Step

 

The Carnahan Bill is a first step towards getting operation funding back in the list of priorities in the federal transportation agenda. You can take action to support it here. 

If you are interested in supporting or joining our campaign for transit operations funding, please contact national coordinator Francisca Porchas at 213-387-2800 or by emailing info@transitriders.net.