As I write this, I fully expect that much will change before the APTA 37th Annual Legislative Conference, because there is a tremendous amount of activity on Capitol Hill.

I want to start by welcoming you to the conference. It is truly a dynamic and challenging time for our industry, and we are so glad you are here in Washington.

Under the leadership of APTA Chair Gary C. Thomas, we have been really gearing up for this event.

We put a lot of thought into creating a strong agenda with expert speakers and an array of sessions that will help you as you carry our message forward—that investment in public transportation is essential to America’s economy, independence, security, and mobility.

From residents in large cities to those in small urban and rural areas; from the child who needs to take the bus to see a doctor to the employee who is working retail late into the night; from the older American who has no car to the person with a disability—all of these people depend on us to get them to their destinations. And they depend on us to get them there safely, securely, and reliably.

Yet we now find ourselves in the midst of our biggest battle in 30 years. And we have shown—loudly, proudly, and clearly—that we intend to fight as long as necessary to secure a multi-year, robust multimodal authorization bill.

The House of Representatives’ proposal to eliminate a stable and dedicated funding source would have been a step backward that would have dire consequences for public transportation—and for our nation’s citizens.

So APTA has been very busy in the last month. I am proud of what we have achieved, and I am even more proud of our members. Together we have mobilized and worked around the clock to get our message out.

You participated in webinars and organized press conferences from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York to Denver, wrote op-eds, and sent letters to Congress telling members that we will not accept a proposal to eliminate guaranteed federal funding for public transportation by discontinuing the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund. 

Ultimately, it was your calls and your letters that led your House members to voice their opposition to this proposal and helped convince the House leadership to retool this legislation. We still have much work ahead of us, but I am convinced we can make great things happen. We have the momentum and the energy to succeed.

At a time when local economies are coming back, unemployment is down, and gas prices are up, people are choosing to take public transportation in record numbers. APTA members’ annual ridership numbers reveal this!

So, on Tuesday afternoon, I urge every one of you to reach out and meet with your designated legislators. If your representative is back home in his or her district, then plan to meet with that individual’s staff.

Because staff are important! Believe me, as the new guy on the job, I rely on my staff at APTA!

Hill staffers not only know what’s going on in the minds of their legislators, they sometimes might know more. Why? Because Hill staffers tend to become veterans, while each election brings a new class of members of Congress. We need to reinforce our message to both new and established members that investment in public transportation is critical.

We are all eager to see a surface transportation authorization bill move out of Congress as soon as possible. Rest assured, APTA will continue to work with the relevant committees and House Leadership to achieve the best possible bill.

While our primary focus has been on the major changes to the House proposals, we are also actively engaged with committees and staffs on numerous issues in the Senate bill. We have heard from APTA members about a number of concerns they have with components of the Banking and Environment & Public Works titles, and we are working closely with individual Senate offices to address these concerns. This is why I am urging you to stay in close communication with your Senators, just as you do with your Representatives.

Tell them how public transportation creates and supports jobs—and provides access to those jobs. Remember, every $1 billion invested in public transportation results in 36,000 jobs.

Let them know that federal investment in America’s public transportation systems is vital to ensuring the safety of and security of all Americans, to reducing dependence of foreign oil, and to enhancing competitiveness in the global marketplace. And it also saves Americans money, as gas prices rise.

Investment in public transportation is key to maintaining a strong foundation for our national and regional economic health. Communities all across America are dependent on an efficient, interconnected, and balanced transportation network.

Our legislators need to know that public transit does not live in a parallel universe relative to the highway network. Public transit is part of the transportation network—the very network that moves people and commerce throughout our country.

Having public transit as an integral part of our nation’s transportation network is cost-effective and environmentally friendly. It is a capacity enhancement tool that not only uses scarce land resources efficiently, but also serves as a catalyst for redevelopment in blighted and brown field areas.

I cannot stress enough that public transit is not competing with our nation’s roadway network. Rather, it complements it and needs to be paid for on an even playing field.

So, as we begin what I know will be a very successful conference, let me thank you, our members, for all your dedication and commitment. You should take pride, every day, in what you do for our nation.