By Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler
In the current debate about the state budget and SEPTA funding, we keep hearing a familiar story. The story goes that Pennsylvania is running out of money, and the only way we can pay for transit systems like SEPTA is to take money from other pots. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
But I don’t like that story — it’s ugly, and it’s not true. So here’s another story, one that reflects the urgent situation we really face:
My colleagues and I in the House have been sounding the alarm about transit funding for years. We’ve known for a long time that we need stable, long-term funding to support a system people rely on to keep their lives and our economy running. We’ve continued to pass bills to responsibly and sustainably fund transit, and we’ve additionally put forward bills to increase revenue — without increasing taxes on working and middle-class households. People are having a hard enough time paying for their electricity, groceries, daycare and rent as it is.
After months of waiting, Senate Republicans finally put forward their own transit funding package in August. But their proposal had no new revenue streams and required SEPTA to make burdensome changes like mandated fare increases. SEPTA has proven itself to be one of the most efficient transit systems in the country when considering fare cost and daily ridership. Both SEPTA and PRT in Pittsburgh stated that the Senate’s bill would only make it worse for their transit systems to operate.
The Senate Republican proposal would also overextend the Public Transit Trust Fund — a pot of money SEPTA relies on for safety and infrastructure improvements, replacing outdated equipment, natural disaster response and plans for new capital projects like the Roosevelt Boulevard Subway. And it would divert a huge portion of those dollars toward totally unrelated projects while barely keeping the system afloat.
Pennsylvania is an economic engine in the wealthiest country in the world. We shouldn’t have to choose between safe, paved roads and an efficient bus line. We shouldn’t have to choose between quality schools and veterans’ services. We can have all these things if we get creative about bringing in new revenue while protecting working-class families.
We have real, workable solutions in the House to bring in more revenue to the state. A bill I introduced would update Pennsylvania’s tax laws to make sure big corporations pay their fair share of taxes. There are other ideas on the table to raise revenue, too, including increasing the minimum wage (currently stuck at $7.25/hour) and taxing and regulating so-called “skill games” — which have been installed in convenience stores and bars. These dollars could fix our roads, fund repairs to our school buildings, revitalize our public transit systems and invest in programs like veteran workforce re-entry and elder care.
I’m excited to hear what other ideas lawmakers have for increasing revenue to the state. But what I don’t want to keep hearing is the story that we can only have necessary services like transit if we sacrifice critical programs elsewhere. That’s a false choice and we’re not falling for it. Pennsylvanians sacrifice enough, and it’s our job in the General Assembly to make our neighbors’ lives easier in ways large and small. Funding mass transit is one big commitment we must keep and get more. ••
State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler represents the 184th legislative district in South Philly.