[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 45 (Thursday, March 20, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E533-E534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCING THE INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 20, 2003

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
introduce the Intermodal Transportation Act of 2003. This legislation 
enjoys bipartisan support, and I believe that its inclusion in TEA-21 
Reauthorization will significantly enhance our nation's public 
transportation infrastructure.

[[Page E534]]

  We will be facing significant budget restraints in the 
reauthorization TEA-21 over the next 6 years, and for that reason I 
believe it is critical to look at ways to maximize our existing 
transportation assets. One important way we can do this in the realm of 
public transportation is by connecting the public transportation modes 
better so that they provide a more accessible and attractive 
transportation alternative. Public transportation, including intercity 
bus, intercity rail, local mass transit, and rural transit, serve 
thousands of communities nationwide, but they are rarely linked 
together in common facilities and with consolidated travel information. 
The Intermodal Transportation Act will provide for these missing 
intermodal connections.
  This bill will create a new competitive grant program for intermodal 
transportation centers, which will provide incentives for states and 
communities to develop intermodal facilities. These intermodal centers 
will tie together all public transportation modes in convenient 
locations, giving public transportation users the ability to make 
seamless intercity and local trips from origin to destination. Across 
the country, very little has been invested in intermodal facilities 
linking the modes of affordable public transportation that the American 
people rely on everyday. ITA provides benefits to all public 
transportation riders through dedicated funding for these vital 
intermodal transportation terminals.
  ITA will also create a National Public Transportation Information 
System so that with one call or website visit, a user can get 
information on schedules, fares, and locations for the intercity and 
local transportation services that she will need to make a trip.
  ITA also increases funding so that customers using wheelchairs have 
better access to the intermodal system, thus allowing a mobility-
impaired passenger to get on an intercity bus with a wheelchair lift 
and make accessible connections throughout the country.
  In addition to creating a seamless intermodal transportation system, 
the cost-effective programs in ITA will produce new employment 
opportunities. These will include not only the construction and 
operating jobs directly related to the projects, but also new jobs 
created by the economic development produced by new intermodal 
transportation hubs in urban areas and through the connections we 
develop between rural communities and the national airway system.
  With a total cost of around $150 million annually, the Intermodal 
Transportation Act will create a fully integrated public transportation 
network throughout the country while also linking hundreds, if not 
thousands, of rural communities to airports and creating economic 
development opportunities and new jobs across the country.
  I am pleased to introduce these important intermodal proposals with 
significant bipartisan support. I would especially like to thank Jo Ann 
Emerson and Michael Burgess for their strong support of this 
legislation. I would also like to thank the other original co-sponsors 
of this legislation: Ed Case, Martin Frost, Major Owens, Sheila 
Jackson-Lee, Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Richard Baker, Betty McCollum, and 
Juanita Millender-McDonald. We will work with our fellow colleagues to 
see that this bill is included in the reauthorization of TEA-21.

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