Congress has appropriated funds to seed programs for accessible transportation.
By Terry Moakley
Funded at $78 million nationally this year and proposed to increase to $81 million in the President’s budget for next year, the New Freedom initiative is now a permanent section of the federal transportation law. It is geared specifically to support local transportation services not required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with emphasis on improvements that enable persons with disabilities to travel to work or to and from employment preparation programs.
In the House-Senate Conference Committee Report that accompanied the bill, the following list provides examples of services that might be funded under New Freedom:
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• Purchasing vehicles and supporting accessible taxi, ride-sharing, and vanpooling programs
• Providing paratransit services beyond ADA minimum requirements
• Making accessibility improvements to ADA non- key stations
• Supporting voucher programs for transportation services offered by human service providers
• Supporting volunteer driver and aide programs
• Supporting mobility management and coordination programs
New Freedom is a “formula” grant program. This means that for capital purchases such as the acquisition of vehicles, the federal government covers 80% of the cost, but the remaining 20% must come from local sources. Who will receive New Freedom grants? Larger transit agencies and states will be the main “recipients,” but “subrecipients”- such as a state or local government authority, a nonprofit organization, or another local operator of public transportation services-may also seek New Freedom funds. These monies will be awarded only after both a local planning process and a competitive grant process.
Your Input Is Needed
By now, you are probably thinking, “What does this have to do with me?” If you have an idea for a local transportation improvement project, such as one of the services on the above list, you can make a difference in this process. The best place to begin is probably your local transit agency, or your city or county transportation department. If these offices have an advisory body on transportation for individuals with disabilities, get involved because you will need allies to advance your ideas.
United Spinal Association has participated in the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulatory process concerning New Freedom. In comments submitted in December of 2005, we focused on the importance of local transportation officials accepting New Freedom recommendations from involved community disability groups/individuals. As of this writing, we are preparing to submit another written testimony to the FTA about the New Freedom grant process.
If you are interested in receiving information about this new federal transportation program as it becomes available to us, please contact Legislative Director Dan Anderson or myself at 800-404-2898.
Terry Moakley is associate executive director of Public Affairs.
