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2015: THE YEAR IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Public Transit Gets First Long-Term Bill in 10 Years

BY MICHAEL FIMMANO
Legislative Analyst, Government Affairs Department

A year of APTA member advocacy to Congress on behalf of a long-term surface transportation bill bore fruit with the December enactment of the five-year Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

Here are some highlights of APTA’s government affairs activities during 2015.

The 114th Congress began Jan. 3 with a returning Republican majority in the House of ­Representatives and a new Republican majority in the Senate. This shift of control in the Senate meant that committee chairmanships would change, elevating Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-OK) to chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) to chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Sen. John Thune (R-SD) to chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Additionally in the House of Representatives, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) became the new ranking member for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

In March, APTA held its annual Legislative Conference at the J.W. Marriott in Washington, DC. Sens. Dean Heller (R-NV) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), among other speakers, brought unique perspectives regarding a possible long-term surface transportation authorization, highlighting the importance of this goal but also noting the ­difficult task of financing the proposals.

FTA Acting Administrator Therese W. McMillan and FRA Acting Administrator Sarah Feinberg, who received Senate confirmation as administrator later in the year, also gave speeches at the conference. Capping off the busy week, the Senate Banking Committee held two roundtables with APTA members.

On April 9, more than 360 APTA members, partners and public transit advocates nationwide conducted activities on Stand Up for Transportation Day, which then-Chair Phillip Washington created to bring attention to the urgent need for a long-term, fully funded surface transportation authorization bill. Many of these events featured members of the House and Senate, governors, mayors and other elected officials.

SU4T was a major element of APTA’s yearlong advocacy and communications initiative to strengthen support for a long-term surface transportation bill organized about the central theme “Where Public Transportation Goes, Community Grows.”

Other efforts in the initiative included a national grassroots advocacy movement, “Voices for Public Transit,” which enlists private citizens as public transportation advocates and is 180,000-plus members strong; a social media campaign that has attracted nearly 250,000 Facebook and Twitter followers; and a national print, radio and online advertising campaign that generated more than 25 million individual views.

Throughout the year, tax reform remained a relevant topic as many in Congress looked to that legislation as an opportunity to create revenues for a transportation bill. APTA also sought to advance tax provisions such as transit benefits and alternative fuels.

Various committees of jurisdiction held hearings throughout the year on transportation issues. APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy testified before the Senate Banking Committee in April, highlighting industry priorities. APTA continued to fight for growth of the federal transit program, while restoration of bus funding remained front and center in the debate.

As the Dec. 31 deadline for implementation of PTC neared, the Senate Commerce Committee held hearings on a possible extension as agencies reiterated the fact that it was an unfeasible goal. Melaniphy, the APTA staff and commuter rail CEOs worked closely with freight railroads to make the case for the extension. Ultimately, Congress approved a three-year extension, with the option for an additional two years on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the DOT secretary.

As tensions mounted within the House Republican conference, Speaker John A. Boehner (R-OH) announced that he would be retiring from his seat in Congress and his post as Speaker of the House. Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-WI) was elected the new speaker.

Before the August recess, the Senate EPW Committee reported out and the full Senate later passed the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act. This six-year authorization was funded for half of the life of the bill, and the House of Representatives continued the momentum by writing an authorization bill. By November, the House had passed the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform (STRR) Act of 2015 and the House and Senate moved to reconcile the bill in conference.

In December, the committee reported out their five-year, fully-funded FAST Act, which President Obama signed into law on Dec. 4. After a year of hard work with consistent progress toward passage of a bill, the transportation community celebrated a significant achievement.

Find details here.

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