Passenger Transport Express - 09/30/2016 (Plain Text Version)HEADLINE NEWSAPTA Statement on NJ Train Accident
As we go to press with Passenger Transport Express, APTA continues to monitor news about the New Jersey Transit train accident that occurred yesterday, Sept. 29. We released a statement about our industry's commitment to safety and we are reaching out to our colleagues at this difficult time. Congress Passes Temporary Spending Bill
The Senate and House passed a continuing budget resolution this week to fund federal government programs through Dec. 9, allowing lawmakers to leave
Washington until after the November elections. While this action will keep the federal government running for several weeks, Congress
still must approve legislation to fund the government for the remainder
of FY 2017. APTA will continue to advocate for a full-year
DOT appropriations bill at FAST Act funding levels before Congress adjourns for the year. Read APTA's Legislative Update here. APTA at InnoTrans 2016
APTA Acting President & CEO Richard White, along
with Acting VP for Member Services Randy Clarke and Chief of Staff Petra Mollet,
represented APTA at InnoTrans, the largest rail exhibition in the world attracting nearly
145,000 visitors and 3,000 exhibitors from more than 140 countries. White also made a presentation on the challenges and opportunities for public transportation in the U.S. at a joint APTA-UNIFE session organized by UNIFE (Union des Industries Ferroviaires Européennes or Association of the European Rail Industry). Barnes Speaks at DOT Summit
APTA Chair Doran J. Barnes was a featured panelist
Sept. 29 at U.S. DOT's National Summit on Transportation & Opportunity, a conversation about how transportation connects people to opportunities. He
participated in a discussion about best practices, along with representatives from
the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Associated General Contractors,
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations and National Association of
Development Organizations. DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx made the keynote speech and APTA Acting President & CEO Richard White also attended the summit. FAST Act Small Purchases Waiver
The Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act changed FTA’s Buy
America program by, among other things, defining the “small purchase” waiver at
$150,000 or less. This threshold will not increase with future adjustments. The waiver applies to
all purchases made after Oct. 1, 2015, regardless of project size. It covers capital, planning and operating assistance made by grant recipients
or sub-recipients. Voices for Public Transit Prepares for Nov. 8
For the first time in APTA’s history, our Voices for Public Transit (VPT) – APTA’s online advocate community – will help
raise awareness and encourage support for local and state public transit ballot
initiatives. Voters in 31 communities
across the country will decide referendums that could result in nearly $200
billion in public transportation investments.
We have created a toolkit for the more than 200,000 VPT advocates and
we encourage you to share. To access the
toolkit, click here. SAVE THE DATE
High-Speed Rail Policy Forum IN THE MEDIA
A Commuter Revolution: How Cities Are Collaborating to Solve the Challenges of Sustainable Urban Transport NOTABLE & QUOTABLEAPTA Chair Defines His Priorities
APTA Chair Doran J. Barnes took a few minutes with APTAtv to describe his priorities for the year ahead. Click here to see a brief Q&A video with Barnes. |