1. Talk today about APTA’s Federal legislative agenda
Talk today about APTA’s Federal legislative agenda. Want to talk about MAP 21 authorization bill passed last year, but also talk about the breadth of the issues we deal with. I think it is important for you to understand what we have focused on in recent years, and maybe raise questions about how that focus relates to the challenges you have at your respective agencies. Also want to give you a sense of where our programs fit in the scheme of the federal budget and political priorities in Congress. I worked in the House for 13 years, & transit is really a small part of the federal budget. Tell JSK story.

2. Background Congress Enacted MAP-21 in July, 2012
MAP-21 Authorizes Transit/Highway programs through September 2014
$10.6/$10.7 BILLION in 2013/2014
Extends Dedicated Taxes through 2016
Asset Management/Performance Measures/ Safety Plans
Describe law & main points – more discussion later in terms of issues we like or want to see changed. Normally a longer term & more growth, which we sought. But decent outcome in light of fact that Congress agreed on little else & was unable to agree on way to pay for bill. As much as we view transit as center of our legislative universe, highway programs are bigger driver, both in terms of funding & issue for Senators from more rural states. Mention APTA role in preserving transit trust fund & House budget proposal to cut transportation authorization by 35%.

3. Other Legislative Issues
Appropriations and Budget
Tax Bills – Trust Fund Financing; Commuter Benefits; Alt Fuel Tax Credits for Transit; Muni Bonds; TIFIA
Commuter Rail Issues – Positive Train Control, Labor Standards, Safety Regulation
High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail
Stimulus, Disaster Bills & Grand Bargains
Buy America/Bus Axle Weight/Labor Law/CMAQ
Climate Change/Highway Laws/Sustainability
Implementing Regulations for Legislation
While authorization is a key bill revisited every several years, APTA represents the industry on all of the issues that affect PT in Congress and the Administration. Tranpo & Homeland Security Approps; House & Senate Budget Resolutions, Administration budget are annual processes – explain import of approps. Taxes: Explain HTF status & need, expiration of tax provisions, financing. Commuter Rail – PR Invest & Improve & Rail Safety deadlines & oppts. HSR & stimulus funding (operating v capital). Buy America, etc. Could climate or budget deal/tax reform happen or piecemeal approaches. Once a bill is passed we have another opportunity to shape its implementation.

4. Federal Budget
Quick overview of budget helpful for context. Budget about $3.6 Trillion. Mandatory: SS, Medicaid & medicare, unemploy, fed./mil pensions, vets benefits & food stamps = over $2 Trillion. $227 Billion interest. Defense = $700 billion. About $640 billion non-defense discret. Includes transportation, health, education, etc. Transportation includes almost $54 billion for ground – highways, transit, & rail including Amtrak, $22 billion air, & $10.5 billion water.

5. APTA Process and You Legislative Process and Triage
APTA Policy Making Process
Context and Coalition Politics
APTA Members – APTA Staff
Questions and Comments?
Tho we cover all of these issues, legislation moves at its own pace. Approps must be done annually, but not. Budget should be done annually but not – concur. resolution. Some expiring legislation must be at least extended temporarily, but some programs are not authorized & receive approps anyway (Amtrak). Many bills are introduced but go nowhere. Some are markers for inclusion in subsequent broader bills, some are introduced for principle. Most rational policies in the world don’t advance if politics or process preclude. So part of our role is to make judgments about what is likely to move and what is not. For instance, we know that we’d be hard pressed to successfully move a bill raising taxes for the highway trust fund through the House as a stand alone bill, but as part of a comprehensive tax rewrite, there might be support based on the members knowing that they don’t want to cut the programs to the levels supported by trust funds and they also don’t want to deposit more general funds into the trust fund.
We also work with coalitions with whom we share common goals. We’ve worked with NACO & others to preserve the favorable tax treatment of muni bonds. We’ve worked with conservative coalitions to reach out to conservative members of Congress. We’ve worked with AASHTO & ARTBA to preserve dedicated funding for transit, and we work with ATM at the chamber, who has pulled together business, labor, and transportation groups and despite their conservative agenda, they have been proponents for an increase in the gas tax.
Finally, I ask that you think about your role with the transit agency that you oversee. What is the right role & level of involvement for you – with your agency and APTA. We are in Washington full time, we have relationships with key committee staff that make the laws for transit, but we need input from you and all of APTA’s member organizations on policy details and priorities. Keep in mind that we don’t get everything we want in the legislative process, and we can’t force our issues (need to have legislative vehicles and opportunities), but we can compliment what you are saying at constituents, we can advise you on the prospects for action or political factors that may seem unrelated to our policy recommendations, and we can play defense when we need to, which may be as import as anything (church & state analogy).

6. Authorization Task Force & Issues
Task Force of Legislative Committee
Restore Bus/Facility Funding & Discretion
Grow Program & Increase Dedicated Funding
High-Speed & Intercity Rail Principles
Formula Programs: JARC, E&D, High Density, STIC
New Starts & SOGR
Research & Workforce Development
Transit Safety Program/Performance Measures/Asset Management
Restate policy process. Flora & Jeff Nelson picks, Varga ex officio, 5 working groups/co chairs: Randall Chrisman, Carolyn Flowers, Nuria Fernandez, Carl Sedoryk, Sharon Greene. Statement of Natl. Purpose, Principles, Needs, Funding & Finance, Program Structure.

7. Advocacy & Legislation
Get to Know U.S. Senators and Representatives
Support Advocacy Efforts by Agency
Encourage Involvement in Policy Process
Make the Case for Transit Investment & Benefits
Work with Local Coalitions
Understand Industry Goals and Objectives
Recognize and Work with Legislative Obstacles that Appear Unrelated to Agenda
Urge Congress to Dedicate Funding to Transportation