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March 15, 2005
March 15, 2005Member
of Congress
Address
Room
Washington, D.C.
Dear
__________:
On behalf of the 1,500 member organizations of the American
Public Transportation Association (APTA), we are pleased to welcome you to Congress
and to forward you this Legislative Resource Guide for the reauthorization
of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21), which
will set federal funding levels for transit and highway programs through Fiscal
Year 2009.
Unfortunately, TEA 21 reauthorization legislation has been delayed.
The latest extension of TEA 21 expires May 31, 2005; we believe its reauthorization
must be one of the key issues on the legislative agenda of the first session of
the 109th Congress. As our Legislative Resource Guide makes
clear, TEA 21 has been a great success, providing increased investment in our
nation’s surface transportation infrastructure. That investment has paid off dramatically:
public transportation ridership is at the highest level in forty years, and more
highway projects than ever are being funded.
Our Legislative Resource
Guide also shows that the unmet needs for investment in public transportation
are great – some $43 billion a year. In the face of these critical demands, APTA’s
comprehensive reauthorization proposal focuses on three key themes:
- Grow
the federal transit program.
- Maintain the funding
guarantees.
- Expedite program delivery.
Comprehensive
information about APTA’s proposals and on the benefits of public transportation
may be found in the Legislative Resource Guide. If you or your staff have
any questions or need more material, please turn to the "For additional information"
section in this guide.Let’s keep America moving – reauthorize TEA 21 at the highest
levels possible!
Sincerely yours,
William
W. Millar
President
WWM/tjj
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