December 2009 Entries

On Wednesday, the U.S. House passed a $154 billion jobs bill, or what’s being called a second stimulus package, by a vote of 217 to 212. The package is not expected to be taken up by the Senate until early next year, but if it goes through, public transportation will likely have another pool of funds to draw from, since the current bill enables large transit systems to use 10 percent of the $6.15 billion in formula funding for operations. It also includes $800 million for Amtrak.

The White House Jobs Summit, held last week, drew business executives, economists, finance experts, labor leaders and small business owners to Washington, D.C., to share ideas on boosting employment. A national delegation of transit and business leaders was among those in attendance, with plans to promote the benefits of investing in “ready-to-go” public transit infrastructure projects that will create and sustain jobs.

At a recent joint hearing of three New York City Council committees, – Transportation, Women’s Issues and Public Safety – the New York Police Department (NYPD) and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials spoke about the cry from its riders for more prevention and enforcement of sexual harassment.