Issue: Public Transportation

House vote for public transportation bill is a win for mobility, economic development across Alabama

By Chris Sanders

Arise Citizens’ Policy Project executive director Kimble Forrister issued the following statement Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018, in response to the House passage of a bill to create the Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund:

“Creating the Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund is an important step forward for public transportation. Today’s House vote for SB 85 brings us closer to the day when our state will finally step up and make a meaningful investment in public transportation so all Alabamians can get where they need to go in a timely manner.

“Alabama is one of only five states with no state funding for public transit. That lack of investment makes it harder for thousands of Alabamians, especially seniors and people with disabilities, to meet basic everyday needs like going to the doctor’s office or the grocery store. It also serves as a barrier to economic development, making it harder for people to get to work and costing our state tens of millions of dollars in federal matching funds every year.

“This bill does not provide state funding, but it sets the stage for needed investment by creating a landing place for future appropriations to support and expand public transportation across Alabama. We thank Sen. Rodger Smitherman and Rep. Jack D. Williams for sponsoring this important legislation, and we urge Gov. Kay Ivey to sign it into law.”

Public transportation bill sails through Alabama House committee

By Chris Sanders

A good month for public transportation advocates in Alabama continued Wednesday when a state House committee approved legislation to create an Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund. SB 85, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, now goes to the House, which could vote on the bill and send it to Gov. Kay Ivey as soon as Tuesday.

The Senate voted 26-0 for the measure last week. A similar bill – HB 10, sponsored by Rep. Jack Williams, R-Vestavia Hills – also won House committee approval earlier this month.

Alabama is one of five states with no state funding for public transportation. As a result, the state leaves tens of millions of dollars of federal matching funds on the table every year. This lack of investment in public transportation makes it harder for thousands of Alabamians, especially seniors and people with disabilities, to meet basic needs like getting to work or the doctor’s office. It also poses a barrier to economic development and job creation. For those reasons and others, Arise members chose public transportation as one of our 2018 issue priorities.

SB 85 and HB 10 would not provide state public transportation funding, but they would create a landing place for future state or federal appropriations to support and expand public transportation options in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) would administer the fund. Click here for more information on the bills.

By Chris Sanders, communications director. Posted Jan. 31, 2018.

Alabama Senate passes public transportation trust fund bill

By Chris Sanders

Public transportation took another step forward Thursday when the Alabama Senate voted 26-0 for legislation to create an Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund. SB 85, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, moves to the House. A similar bill – HB 10, sponsored by Rep. Jack Williams, R-Vestavia Hills – won House committee approval last week.

Alabama is one of five states with no state funding for public transportation. As a result, the state leaves tens of millions of dollars of federal matching funds on the table every year. This lack of investment in public transportation makes it harder for thousands of Alabamians, especially seniors and people with disabilities, to meet basic needs like getting to work or the doctor’s office. It also poses a barrier to economic development and job creation.

SB 85 and HB 10 would not provide state public transportation funding, but they would create a landing place for future state or federal appropriations to support and expand public transportation options in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) would administer the fund. Click here for more information on the bills.

By Chris Sanders, communications director. Posted Jan. 25, 2018.

Public transportation bills win committee approval in Alabama House, Senate

By Chris Sanders

Public transportation advocates in Alabama got a double dose of good news Thursday when bills to create an Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund won committee approval in both the state House and Senate. Arise members chose creation of a trust fund as one of our 2018 issue priorities.

HB 10, sponsored by Rep. Jack Williams, R-Vestavia Hills, moves to the full House. SB 85, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, awaits a Senate vote.

Alabama is one of five states with no state funding for public transportation. As a result, the state leaves tens of millions of dollars of federal matching funds on the table every year. This lack of investment in public transportation makes it harder for thousands of Alabamians, especially seniors and people with disabilities, to meet basic needs like getting to work or the doctor’s office. It also poses a barrier to economic development and job creation.

HB 10 and SB 85 would not provide state public transportation funding, but they would create a landing place for future state or federal appropriations to support and expand public transportation options in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) would administer the fund. Click here for more information on the bills.

By Chris Sanders, communications director. Posted Jan. 18, 2018.

A new way forward: The Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund

By Alabama Arise

Alabama is one of only five states with no state funding for public transportation. That lack of investment makes it difficult or even impossible for tens of thousands of low-income Alabamians to get to work, the doctor’s office or other places they need to go when they need to get there. It also means our state economy loses out on millions of dollars of federal transportation money every year.

HB 10, sponsored by Rep. Jack Williams, R-Vestavia Hills, and SB 85, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, offer a new approach to state funding for public transportation. These companion bills would:

  • Create the Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund to receive future appropriations for expanding public transit options in the state.
  • Authorize the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) to administer the fund, including making and auditing project awards.
  • Require ADECA to adopt trust fund rules, conduct a public transportation needs assessment and make annual reports.
  • Create an advisory committee to ensure that projects supported by the trust fund address the needs of rural areas, seniors, and people with disabilities.

BOTTOM LINE: Every year, Alabama leaves millions of dollars in federal transportation money on the table because our state doesn’t put up the matching funds needed to get it. HB 10 and SB 85 would take a sensible first step toward expanding public transportation options in Alabama and ensuring that all Alabamians can get where they need to go.

Medicaid funding, public transportation highlight Arise’s 2018 priorities

By Chris Sanders

New Medicaid revenue and creation of a state Public Transportation Trust Fund are among the goals on Alabama Arise’s 2018 legislative agenda. Nearly 200 Arise members picked the group’s issue priorities at its annual meeting Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, in Montgomery. The seven goals chosen were:

  • Tax reform, including untaxing groceries and closing corporate income tax loopholes;
  • Adequate funding for vital services like education, health care and child care, including approval of new tax revenue to prevent Medicaid cuts;
  • Consumer protections to limit high-interest payday loans and auto title loans in Alabama;
  • Dedicated state revenue for the Alabama Housing Trust Fund;
  • Reforms to Alabama’s death penalty system, including a moratorium on executions;
  • Creation of a state Public Transportation Trust Fund; and
  • Reforms to Alabama’s criminal justice debt policies, including changes related to cash bail and driver’s license revocations for minor offenses.

“All Alabamians deserve equal justice and an opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families,” Alabama Arise state coordinator Kimble Forrister said. “We’re excited to continue our work for policy changes that would make it easier for hard-working Alabamians to get ahead.”

More than one in five Alabamians – almost all of whom are children, seniors, pregnant women, or people with disabilities – have health coverage through Medicaid. That coverage plays an important role in keeping hospitals and doctors’ offices open across the state, especially in rural areas.

“Medicaid is the backbone of Alabama’s health care system, and we must keep it strong,” Forrister said. “The Legislature needs to step up and approve new, sustainable revenue for Medicaid in 2018. It’s time to stop the annual funding battles and ensure all Alabamians have access to health care.”

Lack of adequate transportation is another major challenge that limits economic growth and erects barriers to daily living for many low-income residents and people with disabilities across Alabama. Arise will push for creation of a state Public Transportation Trust Fund as a step toward closing that gap. A bill to create a trust fund passed the Senate this year and has momentum heading into 2018.

Public transportation bill clears Alabama House committee

By Jim Carnes

Arise’s new approach to public transportation funding picked up momentum Wednesday as the House Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure Committee approved HB 454, sponsored by Rep. Jack Williams, R-Vestavia Hills. The bill would create the Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund as a repository for future state appropriations to expand public transit options in the state. The bill now awaits consideration by the full House.

Under HB 454, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) would administer the trust fund, including making and auditing project awards. The bill would require ADECA to adopt trust fund rules, conduct a public transportation needs assessment and make annual reports.
An amendment defines the composition of the trust fund’s advisory committee. The committee, which would include individuals recommended by Alabama Arise and other advocacy organizations, is designed to ensure that projects supported by the trust fund address the needs of rural areas, seniors, and people with disabilities.
Alabama is one of only five states that provide no state funding for public transportation. Every year, Alabama leaves millions of dollars in matching federal transportation funds on the table because we can’t put up the state portion. Arise considers HB 454 a sensible first step toward expanding public transportation options in Alabama.
By Jim Carnes, policy director. Posted April 19, 2017.

Alabama’s public transportation system needs a tune-up

By Stephen Stetson

Alabama’s transportation system forces residents to rely too much on automobiles and undermines the state’s economic growth, according to “Connecting Our Citizens for Prosperity,” an October 2014 report released by Alabama State University’s Center for Leadership and Public Policy. Jon Broadway, Ph.D., and ACPP policy analyst Stephen Stetson are the report’s authors.

Alabama is one of only five states providing no state money for public transportation. That lack of investment effectively isolates many residents who are unable to drive or lack access to private vehicles, the study finds. It also means Alabama is forgoing the new jobs that building and maintaining public transit options would bring, ACPP executive director Kimble Forrister said.

“Our state’s current transportation system simply can’t be sustained,” Forrister said. “Alabama’s failure to invest in public transportation means too many of our neighbors can’t get where they need to go when they need to get there. That doesn’t just hurt them; it hurts our entire state’s economy.”

Alabama roadblock: Our public transit gap

By Alabama Arise

Inadequate public transportation keeps thousands of Alabamians from meeting basic needs.More than 50 years after the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) provides no public transit funding. A 1952 amendment to Alabama’s constitution makes it illegal to use state gas tax and license fee revenuse — a logical source of transit funds — for any purpose other than building and maintaining roads and bridges.