Wow, what a wild ride!
We are just one vote away from finally achieving a Regional Transit Authority for Southeast Michigan!
What Happened? Yesterday morning, the House Transportation Committee voted to recommend the full package of RTA bills to the full House. The last hurdle is passage in the full House. And in a rush move yesterday afternoon, the full Michigan House briefly considered it, but put it back on hold when it became clear there were not enough votes to pass it.
Why? In an odd deja vu of ten years ago, unrelated political issues are threatening the RTA at the 11th hour. Legislative Republicans are trying to push through so-called "Right-to-Work"anti-union policies with little warning and no debate. After two years of staying out of the issue, Governor Snyder just expressed willingness to consider it. Extremely outraged yet sorely outnumbered, the Democrats have vowed to oppose everything in these last weeks of the legislature as a protest (which they warned the Governor they would do). Unfortunately the RTA bills appear to be the first victim of this stalemate: despite their strong support for the RTA policy, no Democrats voted for the RTA yesterday.
Sadly, the so-called "Right-to-Work" fight is holding up important legislative business.
What now? It’s not over. The House can reconsider the bills next week!
We need your help!
Please help us remind Michigan’s leaders the importance of the RTA, to you , your family, your neighbors, your community, and your economy!!
- Call Governor Snyder at 517-373-3400. Urge him to keep RTA his top priority, explain why it is important to you, and ask him to do everything he can to ensure it passes!
- Call your State Representative and urge them to not let unrelated issues prevent essential transit progress.
- Also call Democratic House Leader Hammel at 517-373-7557 and Republican House Leader Bolger at 517-373-1787.
- Also call your Congressmember and local Mayor and ask them to weigh in with their state colleagues!
And thanks!!