Take Action Against Transit Cuts!

Right now, the Governor and legislators and considering transit cuts in both the general fund and the bonding bill. We need you to tell your legislator to stop these cuts!

Transit Cuts
The Governor is proposing to cut the 2009 general fund appropriation to Metro Transit by $30 million. The Transportation Bill was intended to be a balanced approach to transportation, ensuring that roads, bridges, and transit receive adequate funding to move our region forward. If the general fund for transit is cut in the 2009 budget, it essentially turns the transportation bill into a roads and bridges bill, deeply cutting into transit gains and ignoring the key transportation needs of core city populations. A $30 million cut is nearly 10 percent of the state transit budget, and is asking transit to take a much greater share of the cuts than any other state program.

Representative Doug Magnus from Slayton in southwestern MN is carrying the Governor’s bill to cut transit. The bill (HF 3964) is scheduled to be heard in the House Transportation Finance Committee in Room 5 of the State Office Building on Monday morning, March 17th at 9:30 am.  

Bonding Bill
The Governor is pressuring the legislature to reduce the size of the bonding bill, so there is deep concern that legislators will reduce funding for transit bonding. Legislators need to hear that transit still needs the proposed $110 million in bonding to keep several projects on track, including the Central Corridor light rail transit line and new bus lanes in downtown Minneapolis. The new sales tax will simply not generate enough money in 2009 to keep these capital projects moving forward.

Take Action!
We need you to contact your legislator and ask them to stand firm to 1) protect money for buses in the general fund, and 2) protect transit projects in the bonding bill. Ask your legislators to contact leadership (Sen. Pogemiller and Rep. Anderson-Kelliher) to support transit!

Click here to find out your legislators' contact information.

If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Dibblee at 651-767-0298 or MichelleD@tlcminnesota.org.