Here’s the news from Metro CEO Art Leahy’s email to staff:

The U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Representative John Mica (R-FL), will be holding a field hearing later this month in Los Angeles County to discuss our nation’s next surface transportation bill. The field hearing is designed to inform policymakers who are drafting a long-term reauthorization of the nation’s highway, transit, and highway safety programs.  The field hearing will be held on February 23, 2011, from the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on the campus of the West Los Angeles Veterans Medical Center.  Additional information regarding this congressional hearing will be shared once it becomes available.

This is very good news, as Metro is pushing for the bill to include language that would allow the agency to use federal loans and other financing (the 30/10 Initiative) to speed up the construction of Measure R projects — and having a hearing on the home turf couldn’t hurt.