This update from Metro’s government relations staff doesn’t make it sound as if a bill will be burping out of the Senate anytime soon:
U.S. Senate Holds Procedural Vote on Surface Transportation Bill
Earlier today, the U.S. Senate failed to invoke cloture (54-42) on an amendment offered by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) that sought to consolidate language for the surface transportation bill that had been adopted by the Banking, Commerce and Finance Committees. Sixty votes are needed to invoke cloture. The vote today ensures that the surface transportation bill will remain pending before the body for a number of weeks as Senate leaders seek to limit the number of amendments that will be offered to the underlying bill (S.1813). Over one hundred fifty amendments have been offered to the bill, with Leader Reid claiming that a number of them are non-germane. Among the most prominent non-transportation related amendments expected to be offered during consideration of the surface transportation bill is an amendment by Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) which, if adopted, would permit health insurance plans to decline to cover an item if it is against the issuer’s religious beliefs.
Categories: Policy & Funding
If you guys want to report on the state of public transit in America, you guys need to report the mess they’re facing in Boston. Budget cuts and huge debts on the MBTA are forcing them to make tough decisions to raise their fares from $1.70 to $3.00 while at the same time reducing service. Bostonians are crying out loud how this is paying more for less service and is a good example of what LA Metro might face in the future if they are too reliant on tax support to keep them afloat.