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Civil rights group opposes public transit cut in $260B House GOP transportation bill
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02/08/12 06:33 PM ET
A civil rights coalition is arguing that a proposed cut to public transportation in the $260 billion surface transportation bill being considered by the House of Representatives is a violation of the rights of minorities.
The measure, the American Energy and Infrastructure Act (H.R. 7), eliminates a trust fund for mass transit and redirects the 2.86 cents of the federal gas tax that normally goes to it to highway spending.
The Washington, D.C.-based Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights said the cut be felt most acutely by minority public transportation riders.
"Communities of color, low-income Americans and people with disabilities will be disproportionately impacted since they are the most transit dependent communities and negotiate their daily lives on mass transportation to reach employment, health care, and educational centers," the coalition said in a letter to lawmakers Tuesday.
The group added that while the House transportation bill maintains a split of 80 percent to 20 percent between road and public transit projects that has been the norm in previous multi-year transportation bills that have been approved by Congress in new spending, it "eliminates all dedicated funding for mass transit, casting aside a 30-year bipartisan history of providing this funding for federal transit programs.
"Gutting this reliable source of funds for mass transit could further cripple transit systems around the country and hurt millions of people who depend on public transportation to reach their workplace and vital services," the civil rights coalition argued in its letter to lawmakers.
The American Public Transit Association has also said it was against the public transportation cut, holding a conference call Wednesday to argue the proposal was "short-sighted.
"These funding provisions will impact the millions of Americans who rely on public transit systems to get to work, to school, or to the doctor," the transit association said in a statement. "Private sector jobs will also be lost and public transit systems will be constrained without a long-term dedicated funding source."
APTA and other public transit backers have argued that a sweep of the Mass Transit trust fund would cost public transportation agencies $25 billion in revenue, in addition to the impact they would feel from having the trust fund that collects their dedicated revenue shut down.
The measure, the American Energy and Infrastructure Act (H.R. 7), eliminates a trust fund for mass transit and redirects the 2.86 cents of the federal gas tax that normally goes to it to highway spending.
The Washington, D.C.-based Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights said the cut be felt most acutely by minority public transportation riders.
"Communities of color, low-income Americans and people with disabilities will be disproportionately impacted since they are the most transit dependent communities and negotiate their daily lives on mass transportation to reach employment, health care, and educational centers," the coalition said in a letter to lawmakers Tuesday.
"Gutting this reliable source of funds for mass transit could further cripple transit systems around the country and hurt millions of people who depend on public transportation to reach their workplace and vital services," the civil rights coalition argued in its letter to lawmakers.
The American Public Transit Association has also said it was against the public transportation cut, holding a conference call Wednesday to argue the proposal was "short-sighted.
"These funding provisions will impact the millions of Americans who rely on public transit systems to get to work, to school, or to the doctor," the transit association said in a statement. "Private sector jobs will also be lost and public transit systems will be constrained without a long-term dedicated funding source."
APTA and other public transit backers have argued that a sweep of the Mass Transit trust fund would cost public transportation agencies $25 billion in revenue, in addition to the impact they would feel from having the trust fund that collects their dedicated revenue shut down.
