KCATA update from Jefferson City
May 14, 2009
Dear Friends of Public Transit,
Thanks to the hard work of Senators Jolie Justus and Yvonne Wilson during the recent Senate budget hearing, state funding for Kansas City may yet be possible. In the closing minutes of the Senate budget hearing, Senators Justus and Wilson were successful in getting public transit among the issues that will be considered for funding this summer by the Joint Committee on Capital Improvements and Leases Oversight.
This committee will determine how remaining stimulus funds will be appropriated. Meeting dates have not yet been set, but we will notify you as soon as they are. It will again be time to rally all those interested in seeing increased state funding for public transportation.
We would also like to thank members of the House Budget Committee that were successful in placing $5 million for KCATA on House Bill 20 (HB 20). Although HB 20 was not adopted in the end, our legislative delegation did a great job articulating the need for increased funding in the Kansas City area. Local members of that Committee include Representatives Curls, Hughes, Silvey and Kander.
The excellent work done by our entire Kansas City legislative delegation made it possible for public transit to be considered this summer by the Joint Committee on Capital Improvements and Leases Oversight.
Please take a moment to thank our entire Kansas City delegation for their support. We are fortunate to have elected officials that recognize the importance of public transit to our community.
The past three weeks have demonstrated how critical it is for Kansas City to prioritize public transit and communicate that to our elected officials. Thank you for all of your hard work on this. We will continue to keep you updated as this issue moves forward.
Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA)
