the advocacy monitor

Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

Stand Up For Transportation!

April 9, 2015 is Stand Up 4 Transportation Day, and over 100 events will be taking place around the country. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is calling for organizations and individuals to coordinate and participate in these events, and to join in their advocacy efforts for a long-term, sustainable, and reliable federal transportation funding bill.

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) is the current transportation funding bill, and MAP-21 authorized funds for highways, highway safety and transit programs, and paratransit. However, MAP-21 provisions were only extended by Congress through May 31, 2015. It’s time to join forces with the transportation industry and local community organizations to demand that Congress invest in transportation!

On April 9, members of Congress will be in their home districts for the Spring Congressional recess, and APTA Chair Phil Washington is asking organizations and individuals to coordinate events and advocacy in their local communities. The goal of these efforts is to advocate for a long-term transportation funding bill that will provide a dedicated revenue source to fund the growth of public transit and highway programs before the expiration of the MAP-21 extension. We need to let our members of Congress know how vital investing in transportation is to the disability community, and how we will be at risk if there is no federal funding commitment.

For more information on this issue or how to get involved, visit the APTA’s Stand Up 4 Transportation page.