Carnahan to Hold Press Conference Announcing Filing of HR 3200

Last week congressman Russ Carnahan introduced HR 3200 – “The Local Flexibility for Transit Assistance Act.” In honor of this important piece of legislation Carnahan will be holding a press conference tomorrow Thursday October 20, 2011 at the Civic Center MetroLink & Metrobus Transfer Center. The press conference will begin at 10:00 am. For more information you can contact Congressman Carnahan’s office at 314-962-1523 or by email: jim.mchugh@mail.house.gov

“The bipartisan legislation would amend current law, under which local transit agencies in cities across the country face significant restrictions on how they can utilize their budgets. In the current tough economy, which has put a significant squeeze on transit agency’s budgets, more than 85% of transit systems across the U.S. have either cut vital service or raised fares at the worst possible time. Thousands of transit workers have lost their jobs, and this legislation would be a significant step in fixing these problems.

The Local Flexibility for Transit Assistance Act would allow transit systems to use their federal funds to keep service on the street by allowing local control of federal funds if a transit agency are in the midst of a ‘crisis’ period: if the unemployment rate rises above 7% or the national price of gas has increased substantially during the previous two months. It also allows for greater flexibility for smaller transit agencies that don’t have the budget to maintain services during difficult economic times, and rewards areas that have shown a continued dedication to funding their transit agencies.”