APTA Legislative Conference Draws Big-Name Speakers, High Attendance
5/22/2025
APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas and Chair MJ Maynard-Carey, CEO, RTC Southern Nevada, welcomed more than 600 public transportation professionals and partners to APTA’s 2025 Legislative Conference, May 19, in Washington, DC.
Also, voicing their support for APTA’s advocacy efforts were leaders of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA): Valerie Santos, board chair, and Randy Clarke, general manager and CEO. Santos reported ridership is up, adding, “WMATA has reached 92 percent satisfaction on rail, 83 percent on bus.”
In addition to presentations by APTA-member public transportation agencies and businesses, the three-day conference featured numerous influential speakers, including:
- USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy
- FTA Acting Administrator Tariq Bokhari
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Former NBC Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd
- CNN contributor Scott Jennings
Among the conference’s key elements were:
- A panel discussion about the economic returns and business benefits being generated by public transportation investment in communities across the country, a critical advocacy message for APTA in 2025-2026.
- A special session on preparing public transit systems for Mega Sporting Events, with a focus on the cities hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, and 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
- A Capitol Hill Advocacy Afternoon, when attendees met with Members of Congress to urge them to support full funding for public transportation in this year’s budget and build upon current public transit and passenger rail investment levels in the next Surface Transportation Authorization Act.
Maynard-Carey encouraged APTA members to create “advocacy toolboxes” tailored to their communities’ needs and resources. Emphasizing the importance of this year’s conference, Skoutelas said, “We need to show legislators and policymakers, many of whom are new to Washington, how federal investment in public transportation creates jobs, drives innovation, and strengthens America’s economy.”