Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I), told attendees that he believes the nation’s transportation infrastructure—including public transit—has reached a state of disrepair and inefficiency and can only improve with increased investment.

“When the U.S. has an efficient transportation system, it drives down costs and gets products to market at a lower cost. That keeps us competitive in the global economy,” he said. “On the other hand, if we don’t make the investments we need, we’ll lose jobs. Without these investments, I predict a cut in the Gross Domestic Product by 2020.”

In his remarks at the “Get Started with Members of ­Congress” session, Shuster thanked APTA and its members for their support of MAP-21, the surface transportation authorization bill that passed last year. “APTA has always been in the forefront of moving ­people, and you’ve been a strong partner in MAP-21,” he said. “We appreciate all that you do as an organization and look forward to continuing to work with you.”

He emphasized the role of public transportation in taking people to their jobs, to school, to shop for food, and to visit their families.

Shuster described his efforts to work with T&I Committee members of both parties on an “aggressive agenda” for infrastructure issues, which will include the Rail Safety Improvement Act and the next authorization bill when MAP-21 expires in 2014.

“MAP-21 includes good reforms, but some people don’t think it went far enough,” he said. “I’m looking forward to doing more there with the next bill.”

He concluded: “I have a challenge for you. As we move forward with different bills, we will call on you to educate people—at the grassroots level, but also members of Congress.”

Eighteen-term Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI), chairman of the House T&I Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, said the subcommittee’s goal is to enact a five- or six-year surface transportation authorization bill. “It’s important to both the industry and the public,” he added.

Petri noted that the current revenue stream cannot keep up with surface transportation needs and suggested ­superseding the gas tax with a form of vehicle miles assessment based on the length of trips.

He also said that innovative financing methods at the local level can generate community-wide interest in public transit. “If you have a fixed transit system such as rail, it’s possible to finance a lot of development around stops,” Petri said. “With movable stops such as bus routes, these can change to follow development.”

Petri also announced that his subcommittee plans to hold hearings to explore general oversight issues related to MAP-21. “I don’t just want to focus on problems; I hope we can paint a ­picture of areas where there is success,” he explained.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), ranking member, House Budget Committee, noted that increasing numbers of younger Americans are using public transportation instead of driving.

“We must tackle the issue of support for public transportation at all levels: local, state, and federal,” Van Hollen said. “In the current political climate, the word of the day for a lot of people is cut, cut, cut, even important investments—so we will need to shift the conversation.”

He continued: “When it comes to transportation, if the past is prologue, I would be on full alert. You may recall that funding for transportation as a whole dropped precipitously in last year’s House budget plan. Thanks to all of you raising the battle cry and a bipartisan group in the House, we blocked that.” In contrast, Van Hollen said, President Obama has proposed an additional $50 billion investment in infrastructure, which includes public transit and rail.

“Our challenge now is to find new revenue sources at all levels,” he said. “At the same time, the federal government wants to see that local jurisdictions and states are also committed to increased investment in public transit. In my view, this local support should not be a substitute for federal support; my message is that we’re all in this together.”

The session also included remarks from Jeff Nelson, chair, APTA Legislative Committee, and Marnie Primmer, chair, National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates.

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