Subject: NAPTA Update 32 Date: Friday, October 01, 2004 10:31 AM Friends, Below see a message from our friends at NAPTA. David Schwartz Executive Director Friends of Transit david@friendsoftransit.org http://www.friendsoftransit.org _____ NAPTA Update - October 1, 2004 To: Members of the NAPTA Coalition From: NAPTA Advisory Committee Co-Chairs David Schwartz, Cheryl Richardson, Steve Schlickman, and Margi Ness Legislative Updates TEA 21 Update Since Congress reconvened in early September, much has been discussed and debated on Capitol Hill regarding the reauthorization of TEA 21, although very little has been agreed upon. The basic points of contention remain the same as before the August recess. The overall funding level will still likely be between the House proposed level of $284 billion and the Senate's $318 billion. Most parties are speculating about the $299 billion amount proposed before the break; however Senate Democrats are currently not willing to accept a $299 billion bill. Discussion also continues over the rate of return to each state. Representatives from the so-called "donee" states, who receive more transportation funding than they contribute to the Highway Trust Fund in fuel tax, have recently suggested they could compromise on a 92% rate of return, down from the 95% that donor states are demanding. In the midst of a looming Election Day, there are signs that bipartisanship may be breaking down. Congressional majority leaders are considering trying to pass a six-year bill without the support of Senate Democrats, although this may come at some risk. The fifth and current TEA 21 extension expired on September 24th for highway funding and will expire on September 30th for public transportation. The US Department of Transportation has told Congress that their interpretation of the extension allows them to continue funding operations, just not grants. Congress is likely to pass an 8-month extension to TEA 21 that would contain no allocations for specific projects and would fund transportation at the levels set by the FY2005 appropriations process. Senator Inhofe is making efforts to pass a full six-year bill in the next two weeks, although this appears to be a largely independent action. A group of State governors sent a letter to Representative Oberstar and Senator Jeffords asking for a 1-year extension. House T&I Committee Chairman Don Young also supports a one-year extension, assuming the bill is not finished by the end of next week. Regardless, history has shown that there is always the possibility that a small group of Congressional leaders, in the interest of progress, will spontaneously agree to the terms of a new six-year transportation bill that might move through Congress before the public has the opportunity to react. As such, your elected officials still need to know that funding public transportation at the highest possible level is a priority to you. Rest assured that advocates for other causes, some in conflict with increased transportation funding, continue to make their interests known to public officials. Keep communicating, and use the Action Center at www.napta.net to do so! FY2005 Appropriations Update Congress will most likely not pass an Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 Transportation spending bill before October 8ththththththtth when Congress is expected to adjourn and it is assumed that they will pass a Continuing Resolution (like an extension) which will maintain funding for agencies until an appropriations bill is passed. There has been some discussion of including FY 2005 Transportation Appropriations into a larger funding package. In an attempt to allay further debate, the House removed all funding for surface transportation from their version of the FY2005 Transportation Appropriations bill (H.R. 5025). This action should have little effect on the final funding amount for FY05, as the time-saving measure came with an implicit agreement to fund surface transportation at a level in-between the House Appropriations Committee's previous proposal and the Senate's final proposal. The Senate Appropriations Committee completed action on its transportation spending bill, which would fund the transit program for FY2005 at $7.758 billion and the bill awaits consideration by the full Senate. The $7.758 billion funding level has been widely supported by the transit industry. House Committee approves transit security bill On September 28th, the House Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved a bill that would authorize $3.4 billion in funding for security projects in public transportation systems. During the short hearing prior to voting, Representatives noted that while federal funding for aviation security is $9.16 per passenger, the federal government only provides $0.006 per passenger for mass transit security, despite the fact that the majority of terrorist attacks worldwide have occurred on public transportation systems. NAPTA News Report on the NAPTA membership meeting at Rail~Volution On September 21st, NAPTA held a membership meeting in Hollywood, CA in conjunction with the Rail~Volution conference. The meeting was attended by 25 members and 10 members joined us by conference call. At the meeting, we received an update on TEA 21 from Meeky Blizzard, a staff member from Representative Blumenauer's office, announced recent additions to the NAPTA Advisory Committee, and held a forum on the future of NAPTA, particularly after the eventual passage of TEA 21. First of all, congratulations to: Cheryl Richardson of Access Alaska, Steve Schlickman of the National Business Coalition for Rapid Transit, and Margi Ness of the Colorado Mobility Coalition for being named to the NAPTA Advisory Committee, along with current chairperson David Schwartz from Friends of Transit, Phoenix. In their new role as advisory committee members, these individuals will play an important role in working with NAPTA members on how NAPTA can better serve its membership. In terms of new directions for NAPTA, suggestions included: * A list serve for NAPTA members to share ideas, questions and best practices * More action alerts * Increased 'branding' of NAPTA * Increasing NAPTA's role as an advisor in best practices * A National Grassroots Conference * The development of NAPTA's role as a national grassroots transit advocacy network * State- and Local-Level Assistance * More extensive development of NAPTA such that it would become a quasi-independent organization related to the APTA structure. Please note that this is the beginning of the conversation. We look forward to your ideas and suggestions on new directions - or what you think of the ideas that have been proposed so far. Look for a member survey on this issue in the near future. In the meantime, please e-mail us your ideas at info@napta.net Member profile As part of our effort to share best practices, we will be profiling another member organization for each update. Groups interested in being profiled for the NAPTA update should answer the questionnaire at http://www.napta.net/questionnaire.htm . The Anchorage Citizens Coalition in Alaska has a tall order to live up to. Executive Director Cheryl Richardson notes that their mission is "to make Anchorage the most livable city in the nation." With over a decade of experience, the 300 member group has an admirable list of accomplishments, including the strengthening of smart growth elements in the city's development plan, advocating for and overseeing the rewriting land use codes and the hosting of an annual meeting. They have a pretty nice website too: http://www.accalaska.org . Resources, Articles and Interesting Tidbits Communities in Motion is next week We would like to remind you that Communities in Motion Day is next week, Thursday October 7th. Communities in Motion is a chance for advocacy groups to promote the benefits and accomplishments of their public transportation systems as will groups around the country. Take part, go online and learn what you can do to highlight transit in your community: http://www.apta.com/cim/index.html New transit benefits database available The Center for Transportation Excellence has put together an online transit benefits database which can give users specific figures as to resources saved as a result of public transportation as well as the official source of the information. CFTE also has on the same page an online calculator which can determine the economic benefits of hypothetical transit projects and their potential energy savings. We suggest that you go online and get some facts and figures on pubic transportation to take back to your elected officials: http://www.cfte.org/calculator.asp National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates, 1666 K St NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 _____