Delegation calling for passage of Sen. Ossoff & Rep. Johnson’s “Public Transportation Expansion Act”
Bill would connect public transportation networks with affordable housing
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working to ensure all Georgians, regardless of income or where they live, have access to public transportation.
Today, Sen. Ossoff led a united Georgia Democratic congressional delegation in doubling down on their call for at least $10 billion in transit funding to help low-income, Black, and Latino Georgians access public transportation.
“As Georgia’s Democratic delegation, we stand united in support of this program. The connection between a robust transit system and safe, affordable housing is clear, and we cannot miss the opportunity to make this critical investment. Providing an allocation of at least $10 billion is an essential first step,” the Georgia leaders wrote.
Sen. Ossoff, along with Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock, and Reps. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-07), and David Scott (GA-13), urged Congressional leaders to include Sen. Ossoff and Rep. Johnson’s Public Transportation Expansion Act in the budget reconciliation bill.
Sen. Ossoff and Rep. Johnson introduced the legislation last month.
The bill would, for the first time, fund construction of public transportation specifically connecting affordable housing with transit networks in order to serve riders and commuters in low-income communities.
In their letter to congressional leadership, the Georgia representatives cited the disproportionate impact the lack of public transportation options has on low-income, Black, and Latino Georgians.
“Lack of simultaneous access to affordable housing and to mobility deepens inequality of economic opportunity along class and race lines, disconnecting low-income households from jobs and access to basic facilities like health clinics, schools, and grocery stores,” the delegation continued.
Sen. Ossoff and the delegation previously called for the inclusion of additional transit and transportation investments earlier this year.
Click here to read their letter.
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