TOP STORY
NSTA Members Visit Capitol Hill, Educate Federal Legislators on School Bus Industry
By Ryan Gray NSTA held its annual “Capitol Hill Fly-In” on May 4 and 5 in
Washington, D.C., as NSTA members from across the U.S. came together to meet with their congressional representatives and to hear from members of Congress that have an impact on the issues generally affecting school transportation and contracted transportation services in particular. Te NSTA Capitol Hill Fly-In is the largest government rela-
tions event in the industry. NSTA members had more than 100 appointments with their respective delegations and heard pre- sentations as a group from eight members of Congress that serve on key committees. “This was by far the best Capitol Hill Fly-In NSTA has put togeth-
er in many years,” said NSTA President Donald Fowler of Fowler Bus Company in Richmond, Mo. “With 106 new members of Congress, it was important to educate new members about our business and get our message out to a broader Congressional audience.” NSTA focused on six major issues affecting student transpor-
tation in three broad areas: maintaining a level playing field for contractors; keeping the cost of transportation down; and grow- ing yellow school bus ridership.
MAINTAINING A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD NSTA members spoke with federal legislators about preserving
federal school bus protections. For more than 40 years, federal law has prevented federally-funded public-transit systems from providing most home-to-school school bus transportation in competition with private operators. NSTA members made the case to continue to preserve these protections against transit en- croachment on school bus service. Likewise, legislators were encouraged to preserve federal
charter service protections. Privately-operated transportation companies, including school bus contractors, are also protected from unfair competition in school activity trips and other charter services by federally funded public transit systems. NSTA mem- bers explained how the charter protections were under attack by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who inserted a provision in the two most recent appropriations bills preventing the FTA from enforcing the charter rule in the Seattle area. Te provision was declared unconstitutional by a federal district court last June, but the so-called “Murray Amendment” remains in the current bill. NSTA members encouraged their congressional representatives and senators to Murray’s provision. NSTA members also encouraged the application of all FMCSA
safety regulations to public school bus operations. Currently, school bus operations owned by government entities are exempt
18 School Transportation News Magazine June 2011
from most Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Even though student transportation contractors are only required to meet FMCSA safety regulations when they provide interstate activity or charter trips, practically speaking, contractors comply with federal regulations for all their vehicles and drivers because of the difficulty in forecasting future vehicle use. Te regulations that contractors comply with include driver training, hours of service, safety fitness and inspection, maintenance, and others. NSTA members made the case that all school children riding yellow school buses deserve the same level of safety, whether or not that yellow school bus is privately or publicly operated.
KEEPING THE COST OF TRANSPORTATION DOWN NSTA members also spoke to congressional representatives
and senators about maintaining the federal fuel tax exemption for school buses. School bus transportation is fully exempted from the 24.3 cent per gallon fuel tax because school buses re- duce congestion, pollution, conserve fuel, and alleviate roadway wear. Te exemption only costs the federal treasury approxi- mately $146 million per year, but has a significant impact on
From left: Rochelle Bast, vice president of operations at Riteway Bus; Rob Nelson, president of Dousman Transport; Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI); Magda Dimmendal, NSTA president- elect, and; Tom Ready, owner of Ready Bus Lines. NSTA members met with local congressional representatives on May 4, the second day of the annual Capitol Hill Fly-In spring meetings. In all, NSTA members met with more than 100 individual congressional members.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60