Published on The Labor Community Strategy Center (http://www.thestrategycenter.org)
Next Push for Federal Transit Operation Funding! Take Action Now
By Sunyoung Yang
Created Aug 18 2009 - 6:00pm

20090819 national day of action banner.JPGIt's been a month since Transit Riders for Public Transportation (TRPT) had its National Day of Action [1] highlighting the serious service cuts and fare hikes happening across the country and the need for real long term investment into transit operation by the federal government.  

TRPT has been demanding dedicated transit operation funding by the federal government not only for mobility but for civil rights protection, public health improvements, greenhouse gas reductions, and expansion of environmentally sustainable transit jobs.

The good news is that as a result of the calls and emails sent by members of the TRPT campaign over the past month, the number of congressmembers co-sponsoring H.R. 2746 (Carnahan-MO) has grown. As you may recall H.R. 2746 is a marker bill that will allow more federal transit dollars to be used for the cost of operating buses and trains in the upcoming $500 billion federal surface transportation act (FSTA).

With two weeks left until September when Congress will be back in session and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will resume discussing the FSTA, we need to step up the pressure on our representatives to move this bill forward. So far 60 congressmembers have co-sponsored the bill, and we need to double those numbers by September, when TRPT members will be in Washington D.C. to meet with congressmembers on where they stand on protecting some of the most vulnerable Black, Brown, and poor communities from further cuts and fiscal crisis. 

Stop Service Cuts - Take Action!

Ask your congressmember to help stop service cuts and fare hikes by supporting more transit operation funding in the federal transportation act and co-sponsor H.R. 2746.  Click here to see the congressmembers who have co-sponsored the H.R. 2746. [2]

Send your Congressmember a message today! [3]

National Day of Action Video 

Freshly completed - check out our video coverage of our actions [4] during the National Day of Action on Transit Operation (read report). [5] Click the video to watch the short clip (3 minutes long.) Set to music and featuring our members out on the streets organizing.

National Day of Action Video [6]

Stranded at the Station front cover [7]Transit Equity Network's Report

Yesterday, the Transportation Equity Network (TEN) and Transportation for America (T4A) released Stranded At the Station, a report outlining the financial crisis of public transportation across the country.  Click here to read my overview of the report, and to download the report. [8]


Source URL (retrieved on Feb 8 2012 - 9:31am): http://www.thestrategycenter.org/blog/2009/08/19/next-push-federal-transit-operation-funding-take-action-now

Links:
[1] http://www.thestrategycenter.org/blog/2009/07/25/trpt-national-day-action
[2] http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h2746/show
[3] http://www.thestrategycenter.org/node/610
[4] http://www.thestrategycenter.org/video/2009/08/18/national-day-action-722
[5] http://www.thestrategycenter.org/blog/2009/07/25/trpt-national-day-action
[6] http://www.thestrategycenter.org/video/2009/08/18/national-day-action-722
[7] http://www.thestrategycenter.org/sites/www.thestrategycenter.org/files/T4_Stranded_at_the_Station_REPORT_v2.pdf
[8] http://www.thestrategycenter.org/report/tens-report-stranded-station