Last week transit supporters across the state stated their message loud and clear – we thank you!! The press conferences in Madison and Milwaukee were overflowing and brimming with energy. The outspoken speakers represented the broad coalition base that RTAs enjoy. Because of these efforts, nearly 200 business and labor leaders, elected officials, and citizen transit advocates descended on Madison to push for RTA legislation and “jobs, jobs, jobs.”
10 hours of testimony and no opposition makes a powerful statement!
During this time, we showed overwhelming support for RTA legislation. Major letters of endorsement were delivered including labor (representing 250,000 workers), CEOs and businesses, and nearly 100 community organizations and businesses across the state. The hearing room was packed and 2 overflow rooms held dozens more transit supporters. Many thanks to advocates for their compelling and heartfelt testimony that provided the committee with a sound foundation for their decision-making. Kudos go out to the Assembly Committee on Transportation members and advocates alike for their respectful attention, thoughtful comments, and endurance throughout an exciting and very long day.
Next steps: Don’t let up! The successful hearing left little room for doubt that an RTA bill needs to pass in the next 5 weeks. The Chairman and other members discussed uniting all transit proponents behind one omnibus bill to capture the votes to pass a bill. This is a very big challenge, but do-able with the right support. OUR KEY PRIORITY IS BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT! Keep transit top on the agenda.
Please take a moment to express your appreciation to the Transportation Committee and your legislators for their efforts and urge them to “Get it Done.”
- Who Is My Legislator: http://waml.legis.state.wi.us/ or call 1-800-362-9472
- Assembly Transportation Committee Links: http://ow.ly/1dKgC
Moving Forward Together
The Coalition for Advancing Transit
Want to know more? Check out these links:
- Here is a brand new video by TDA with assistance from Transit Now: “What Business Leaders and Others are Saying About Transit in Wisconsin.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd3jxX7JGr0. It’s a very compelling story. Please share it widely within your own networks, Facebook, with your legislators, etc.
- Twitter feed from the Hearing: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23transitmke
- Transit NOW summary of the hearing day: http://www.inboxfox.com/news/m/6325/71DFE4/s/258579/14D2D2/
- AFL–CIO blog: http://wisaflcio.typepad.com/wisconsin-state-afl-cio-blog/2010/03/good-green-jobs-today-job-development-for-years-to-come.html
- Video of the hearing and press conferences on RTA legislation by Launch Milwaukee: http://www.youtube.com/user/LaunchMilwaukee
- Watch the testimony, provided by Wisconsin Eye. The entire RTA testimony starts toward the end of part 1, the part regarding SE WI RTAs starts in part 2, at about 2:15: http://www.wiseye.org/wisEye_programming/ARCHIVES-asm_committee09.html#3284
Leave a comment
Comments feed for this article