RE:Interesting story on SeptaThis has to be one of the most moronic laws I have eveer seen.
"And a legal quirk means SEPTA is largely dependent on the state of Pennsylvania for funds. “SEPTA receives the lowest proportion of local funding of its operating expenses of any transit system in the country," Descheemaker said. A Pennsylvania law prohibits counties from raising taxes to pay for public transportation.
This prohibition is costly, said Descheemaker: It could lock SEPTA out of receiving money from the $550 billion infrastructure bill passed by President Biden in 2021. Those federal grants, which cover capital expenses like train upgrades, generally require local matching funds.
State representative Joseph Hohenstein, a Democrat from Philadelphia, stood with SEPTA officials on the steps of the state capitol on June 20, publicizing a bill he co-sponsored to change state law to allow counties to raise extra funds.
“As we have seen this past week, when a transportation crisis occurs, we lean on our public transit system,” Hohenstein told reporters. “SEPTA has stepped up with increased services while I-95 is being repaired. Now we need to step up and give it funding flexibility.”
That bill has been parked in committee since June 12. Other congressional calls for emergency SEPTA funding have also lain fallow since interstate 95 re-opened."