Dear Transit Supporters and Friends,
Last week, State Senators Jessica King and Chris Larson and Assembly Representatives Sandy Pasch and Gordon Hintz introduced the Workforce Mobility Act, which seeks to invest in workers and local businesses by restoring dramatic cuts made to Wisconsin’s public transit infrastructure. More information: Press Release and Read the Bill
The Legislature cut public transportation services by 10% in the 2011–2013 State budget. Now counties and municipalities throughout the state are reducing services and/ or increasing fares and we are starting to see the impacts. On average, nearly half of all trips made on transit in Wisconsin are for work purposes. In Milwaukee County alone nearly 35,000 people rely on transit for work every weekday.
The Workforce Mobility Act would restore the 10% cut in funding for public transportation and help people get to work. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau says the needed funds are available in the transportation fund. This bill will use approximately $9.6 million of the $32.9 million balance in the fund to restore this funding. Legislators are being asked to sign on as co-sponsors.
Action Requested – ACT BY FEBRUARY 3!
Contact your state legislators today and ask them to co-sponsor the Workforce Mobility Act - LRB 3760/1 (Senate) and LRB 3899/1 (Assembly). Tell them why you personally support public transportation and how it impacts your life. Ask them to contact Senator King’s office or Representative Pasch’s office to sign on by tomorrow, Friday, February 3 at 12 noon. Find your legislators here.
Federal Transportation bill update
The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the U.S. Senate Banking Committee introduced multi-year bills to address the nation’s public transportation – this is great news! This is an important effort by these legislative bodies to move forward, as investing in public transit and roads is essential to creating jobs and boosting our economy. The Committees are engaged in the bill markup process TODAY and important policy discussions are underway regarding what is included in the bill. Learn more: Also, Milwaukee Public Radio’s Lake Effect featured a segment recently discussing the service changes and new MetroExpress routes. Click here to listen.
Stay tuned for more updates as they happen!
Moving Forward Together
The Coalition for Advancing Transit |
