APTA Members Discuss Legislative Priorities

More than 150 APTA members attended APTA’s Winter Legislative Meeting Dec. 7 in Washington, DC, to discuss the association’s congressional priorities.

APTA Chair Michele Wong Krause told members that “we must stay steadfast in our advocacy efforts,” noting that the Continuing Resolution for USDOT ends Jan. 19. “Our nation needs Congress to fully fund public transit and passenger rail in 2024,” she said.

APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas said, “our message to Congress is simple: investing in public transportation benefits all Americans.”

Assistant Secretary for Transportation Christopher Coes described the opportunities and challenges of implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Seth Hanlon, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax and Climate Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, discussed the climate initiatives and tax credits of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Matthew Tucker, chair, APTA Legislative Committee and Global Transit director at HDR; former Senator Doug Jones (D-AL), and former Representative Philip English (R-PA) participated in a fireside chat to discuss the year ahead in Congress and politics.

Ward McCarragher and Stacie Tiongson, APTA Vice President and Senior Director, Government Affairs and Advocacy, provided a legislative and regulatory reform initiative update.