Around the State

DALLAS/FORT WORTH

On March 27, Congressman Marc Veasey unveiled H.R. 1645, the Transportation for Elderly and Disabled Americans Act that would reinstate an allowance for cities such as Arlington, Grand Prairie and Mesquite, Texas, to use federal transit funding for operation and maintenance costs for transit services for the elderly and disabled.

"As the nation's elderly population grows in the coming years, critical paratransit services such as Handitran will allow seniors to maintain their independence," Veasey said. "For many residents, this reliable and affordable public transportation allows them to make their doctors' appointments, go grocery shopping, visit family and friends and provides them an opportunity to continue their daily activities."

Historically, a major source of assistance for small paratransit operators came from the Urbanized Area Transit Formula Grant. However, an oversight in 2012 legislation known as the Moving Ahead for Press in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) eliminated this source of funding for some small paratransit operators but did not include an alternative to address the resulting gap. The new bill would correct this oversight. Specifically, it would authorize small general public demand response service operators in large urbanized areas to use Section 5307 funds for operating assistance.