Transit & TOD Legislative Priorities

The 2013 legislative session here in Connecticut is in full swing and we’ve been busy at CFE/Save the Sound identifying important pieces of legislation that we support, oppose, and we keeping a watchful eye on. With a lot of bills already up for public hearings, we anticipate that it is going to be a very exciting session for all of our programs – Transit for Connecticut, Growing Connecticut Around Transit, Long Island Sound, Endangered Lands, Energy, and Defense.

CT State Capitol
Photo: Creative Commons

We want to keep you informed about what bills we are working on so over the next week, we will be writing several blog posts identifying key pieces of legislation that we are watching as well as any important dates coming up for those items. We hope you find this helpful as we navigate through this long session.

Here is a cheat sheet to the common abbreviations used during the legislative session:

H.B.: House Bill

S.B.: Senate Bill

AAC: An Act Concerning

TRANSIT & TOD

The Transportation Committee already held several public hearings on important pieces of legislation.

One of our top priorities is moving transit-oriented development forward in the state. Our workgroup, Growing Connecticut Around Transit, has been meeting with state agency staff and elected officials to begin the discussion of how to prioritize and begin implementing walkable, livable, sustainable communities around our major transit lines.

An example of TOD in New Brunswick, NJ
An example of TOD in New Brunswick, NJ

The following pieces of legislation, if passed, will help put us on the right path towards TOD implementation:

A top priority for our Transit for Connecticut program are several bills that seek to commit funds to bus and rail service upgrades and to ensure that the monies in the Special Transportation Fund be used for transportation needs. These bills are extremely important since funding for transportation projects is currently scarce:

While there are some very good bills out there currently, there are also some bad ones floating around, including several aimed at stopping the construction of CTfastrak and limiting its expenses.

The official groundbreaking
The official groundbreaking for CTfastrak in May 2012

The project is already under construction and, if stopped, all the federal funds the state has received for the project will disappear, unable to be used for any other transportation projects. That would be a giant loss for the state and hinder our chances at receiving future federal funds for major transportation infrastructure projects.

Stay tuned for the legislative highlights for our other programs!

Posted by Rebecca Kaplan, director of communications for CFE/Save the Sound


Get Involved
Jump in

Join the fight! Memberships start at just $25 – support that’s badly needed now for a healthy, sustainable environment over the long term.

Join now

Take part

Saturday, April 27, at East Rock Park in New Haven
Celebrate Earth Day, cycle or hike with the New Haven community, fundraise for environmental organizations, and enjoy food, music, and more at the Green Fair on April 27. Join our cycling team to support a healthy, clean, and thriving Long Island Sound region.

See more

Connect with us

Stay in touch by joining our activist network email list. We'll keep you up-to-date with current initiatives, ways you can take action and volunteer opportunities.

Sign up