Pallone Urges of Rejection of Amendment that Would Cut $50 Million Per Year from NJ Transit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2015


WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and a bipartisan group of his colleagues are urging the removal of a provision attached to the House-passed surface transportation reauthorization that would cut federal public transportation funding to several states by approximately $263 million per year, including a $50 million annual federal funding cut to NJ Transit. The amendment would eliminate the High Density States Program, known as the 5340 Program. The lawmakers sent a letter to the bicameral Conference Committee that is negotiating a final draft of the legislation urging them to recede to the Senate bill, which maintains 5340 funding.

“I am calling for the elimination of this amendment because it would do unnecessary damage to New Jersey and six of our neighbors,” said Congressman Pallone. “Half of all transit users nationwide live in these states. This misguided amendment would trigger detrimental funding cuts that would force NJ Transit and other transit systems to reduce service, raise fares, cuts jobs, and create additional hardships for the millions of people who rely on public transportation every day. At a time when our nation should be investing in our transportation systems and infrastructure, the amendment moves us in the opposite direction.”

In addition to New Jersey, the amendment would drastically cut federal public transportation funding to Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. It would force transit systems in these states to cut jobs, service, and service frequency.

The full text of the letter follows.

To the Conferees:

The Herrera Beutler amendment to the House-passed Surface Transportation Bill that passed by voice vote that eliminates funding for the 5340 High Density States program will create a crisis in the states that provide half of all public transportation in the United States at a time when demand for transit has never been higher. This amendment doesn’t just eliminate funding, it takes funding from a critical formula-based program and redirects it to a 100 percent discretionary program controlled by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Importantly, Chairman Shuster’s amendment vote recommendations, which were developed in concert with Ranking Member DeFazio subject to the “Big 4” agreement, recommended a NO vote on the Herrera Beutler amendment.

The elimination of funding to the High Density States program would force transit systems in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island to cut jobs and service and eliminate the ability to meet demand and keep our respective systems in a state of good repair. A bill that was carefully crafted to do no harm and ensure no one lost anything now creates devastating loss in the areas where demand for public transportation is the highest.

The effect of this hardship isn’t limited to transit providers and customers. The loss in funding will negatively impact local transit manufacturers and suppliers of transit related goods and services, as well as the jobs they create. We view this as an issue of responsible governance. An amendment that eliminates funding for states that provide public transportation to 50 percent of all transit riders in this country is irresponsible and can in no way be considered to be in the best interest of the people we all serve.

We strongly urge the Conference Committee to recede to the Senate’s position that retains the 5340 apportionments. We need a surface transportation bill that maintains an appropriate level of funding to not only meet the current demand, but ensure people in these states have the ability to access jobs, education, and health care.

Sincerely,

No excuse for layoffs at Brookdale

Vin Gopal is chairman of the Monmouth County Democrats and is the author of this article that appeared in yesterday's Asbury Park Press:

The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders has gutted funding to Brookdale Community College three years in a row. It’s plain and simple: What was once the educational pearl of Monmouth is now in jeopardy as a direct result of the one-party-controlled freeholder board.

A recommendation made last week by the college’s Board of Trustees (most of whom are selected by the all-Republican freeholder board) announced a plan for 210 layoffs of faculty and staff. This comes after the third year in a row of significant cuts by Monmouth County’s freeholder board to Brookdale’s funding.

Monmouth County’s funding has dropped an astounding 23 percent in just three years — more than $6 million. The college is expecting another $1.5 million cut in county funding for 2015, a 6 percent drop in a year. Brookdale officials are expecting funds raised by tuition and fees to increase by 2.5 percent next year and enrollment has dropped 12 percent in just three years.

The freeholders claim that money for Brookdale is not there. That is simply not true. Instead of properly funding Brookdale Community College, the board has allowed $6.5 million taxpayer money, annually, to be wasted on managing two county-run nursing homes. Government-funded nursing homes are a thing of the past and counties including Mercer, Sussex and Salem have all successfully sold their own to competent private buyers, all of whom have done an excellent job operating them with the same quality of care.

Government used to run these types of care centers in the 1960s and 1970s, but we do not need to be in the nursing home business in 2014. We need to be providing students and their parents with affordable educational options, especially at a time when the importance of a college degree is increasing faster than ever. Monmouth freeholders have the opportunity to do this and protect those jobs at Brookdale.

This past election, in a big landslide year for national Republicans, Monmouth County residents narrowly voted to re-elect Monmouth County Republican Freeholders Lillian Burry and Gary Rich with 53 percent of the vote. This should be a wakeup call to county Republicans, not a moment of celebration. County Republican freeholders usually win Monmouth by larger margins. Residents are realizing, more and more, that county Republicans are responsible for our high taxes and waste.

There is no Republican or Democratic way to fix a pothole. There is a right way and a wrong way. The Monmouth County Democrats have taken the position that privatizing the nursing homes because it is what is right for the 630,000 residents of this county.

The solution for Brookdale is crystal clear. The All-Republican freeholder board can privatize the nursing homes and save Brookdale students and families a tuition increase and save the 210 folks about to get laid off. The ball is in their court.

Join us in holding them accountable by locally joining a political party that will fight for every taxpayer in this county. Locally, the Monmouth County Democrats are fighting for taxpayers in our 53 towns.