Rep. Sobecki: Undercutting TARTA funding hurts working people and economic development

House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Rep. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo) issued a statement Monday as GOP lawmakers passed Senate Bill 19, which included a last minute amendment to undercut funding for the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) by limiting the its ability to generate operating revenues through the local sales tax. 

“An infrastructure built for the future requires public transit, but SB 19 takes us in the exact opposite direction. This bill guts TARTA funding, which will ultimately kill jobs, hurt economic development and stifle opportunity for working people, students, seniors and all those who rely on public transit in Northwest Ohio. The last thing we should be doing as we finally begin to emerge from this pandemic is to make it harder for people to get to work, go to school, earn a living, or do business in our state.”

Rep. Sobecki offered an amendment on the House floor to remove the anti-TARTA provision, but Republicans rejected it.

After passing the House, SB 19 moves to the Senate for consideration of changes made in the House version.