Record Transit Aid for NJ in Senate Transportation Bill‏

This article was published in the Daily Record and summarized by one of our members. It is quoted here as a matter of interest, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Lackawanna Coalition.

New Jersey would get $519 million for public transit, under the federal highway bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday.  (There was no comparison number stating the current funding level in the article.)
Highway aid for NJ would decrease by 4.6% to $988 million; other states are also said to see decreases in highway funding.  The vote was said to be bipartisan (74–22), and this puts pressure on the House to adopt the bill instead of its own version, widely opposed, which would have removed transit aid from Highway Trust Fund sources.
Sen. Menendez (D-NJ) praised the bill.
The Senate bill would also restore the tax benefit for transit commuters, and raise it to $240/month from the previous $230.  After the previous law expired, the benefit dropped to $125.
NJ funding for transportation services for the elderly and handicapped would increase from $6.5 to $7.8 million.
A provision championed by Sen. Menendez is included to provide $20 million to communities to plan development around transit hubs (article is not clear, but this amount may be the nationwide total).
The original article was previously found at http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012303140035