Well folks, The ICETEA / BESTEA transportation bill went through WITHOUT
=
any bad amendments regarding exemptions for Greyhound etc. from the ADA.
=
Thanks to everyone's hard work contacting committee members etc. we =
were able to hold that off. =20
Special thanks must go to Pennsylvania ADAPT folks who made NUMEROUS =
trips down to DC to deliver letters, Doggone Shame reports and video =
tapes to Congress. Also their hardball advocacy through media, phone =
calls, letters, letters to the editors, actions etc. to get Transit =
Chairman Bud Shuster to lay off helping his buddies at Greyhound made a =
tremendous difference. =20
It is still important to get your comments in to DOT though, cause till =
the regs are final, they are subject to change -- and remember who we =
are dealing with here. =20
One more good sign of our victory is that in addition to no weakening =
ADA type amendments, the ICETEA / BESTEA bill put in money for grants to
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help OTRBs comply with the regs. There is money in there for purchasing =
and training so many of our service/training issues should be addressed =
too. With this kind of sweetener it will be doubly hard for Greyhound =
and their buddies to bitch (or at least bitch successfully) about the =
regs.
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