AB 2222—which creates a program to provide discounted student passes to low-income K-12 and public college and university students statewide—CONTINUES TO GAIN MOMENTUM! The vote on the Assembly floor was 72-6! It will be heard in Senate Transportation and Housing Tues. (6/21) and in Senate Environmental Quality Wed. (6/29).

CAN YOU WRITE OR CALL THIS WEEK?

• A sample letter to Senator Jim Beall, chair of Transportation and Housing is HERE: STPLetterToBeallFINAL.docx PLEASE EMAIL BY NOON WED 6/15 to [email protected], or fax to 916-445-2209 attention: Erin Riches.
  
• A sample letter to Senator Bob Wieckowski, chair of Environmental Quality is HERE: STPLetterToWieckowskiFINAL.docx PLEASE EMAIL BY COB FRI 6/16 to [email protected], or fax to 916-322-3519 attention: Rebecca Newhouse.
• Rather call? A list of committee members and sample talking points are HERE: STPScript4CallsJun13FINALFINAL.docx (You only need to call the Senator who serves the area nearest you—for example, in LA County call Senator Ben Allen (Santa Monica) or Senator Tony Mendoza (Artesia) about the hearing in Transportation and Housing, or call Senator Fran Pavley (Agoura Hills) about the hearing in Environmental Quality—and if you are ambitious the chair of the committee.)

BACKGROUND
Since the Cap & Trade discussion was put off until August and the bill has won broad, bipartisan support we believe that if we win similar support in the Senate we can make the case in August that so many Senators and Assemblymembers support the policy that the bill should be funded out of the GHG Reduction Fund! (Call Gloria at Move LA if you want to know more, 213-304-0444.)

If you wrote a letter to the Assembly you can re-send it with one change—we are no longer asking for the appropriation of $50M/year but rather: “We are writing to support the creation of a program to provide discounted student transit passes to K-12 and public college and university students statewide as outlined in AB 2222 (Holden and Gonzalez) using money from the GHG Reduction Fund. We see this as a way to make student transit passes more affordable and to increase student transit ridership and reduce VMT and GHG emissions.” (See the sample letters.)

THIS BILL IS VERY MUCH ALIVE SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND PLEASE STAY ON BOARD!