APTA Legislative Conference Draws Hundreds of Public Transportation Leaders; Calls for Robust Federal Investment
4/13/2026
APTA opened its 2026 Legislative Conference April 13, bringing together more than 600 public transportation professionals to engage with policymakers and advocate for robust federal investment in public transportation infrastructure.
The conference features remarks from USDOT Chief of Staff Pete Meachum; Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE); Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I Committee); Rep. Robert Bresnahan (R-PA), Vice Chair of the T&I Committee’s Highways and Transit Subcommittee; and Rep. James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA).
Additional speakers include Katherine Scarlett, White House Council on Environmental Quality chairman; FRA Deputy Administrator Drew Feely; FTA Chief Counsel Matthew Cahill, Associate Administrator Connor Torossian, and Acting Executive Director Jamie Pfister; and TSA Assistant Administrator Sonya Proctor.
“APTA’s Legislative Conference is an opportunity for our member organizations to hear directly from policy experts and to meet with Members of Congress to build meaningful and productive relationships to support investment in critical public transportation infrastructure,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas.
A key focus of the Conference is APTA’s 2026 Surface Transportation Authorization Recommendations, which call for $138 billion for public transit and $130 billion for passenger rail over the next five years. APTA’s new Economic Impact report shows that every $1 invested in public transportation generates $5 in long-term economic returns, and 77 percent of Federal transit funding flows to businesses across the nation.
The conference concludes with the Advocacy Afternoon, where attendees will meet with Members of Congress and urge elected officials to build upon current public transit and passenger rail investment levels in the next Surface Transportation Authorization Act.
“Federal investment in public transportation supports jobs, strengthens domestic manufacturing, and helps communities across the country maintain and expand the public transit and passenger rail service that their communities depend on,” said Skoutelas. “We are here to make that case to Congress and urge lawmakers to pass a long-term surface transportation bill that builds on current investment levels and meets the real needs of riders and communities across the country.”