Monday, October 24, 2011

Legislative Action: 10th District and State - 10242011

In this MegaVote for Ohio's 10th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes
Senate: Confirmation of John Edgar Bryson to be Secretary of Commerce
Senate: Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act of 2011
Senate: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012

Upcoming Congressional Bills
House: Internal Revenue CodeEditor's Note: The Senate is in recess this week.


Recent Senate Votes
Confirmation of John Edgar Bryson to be Secretary of Commerce - Vote Confirmed (74-26)
The Senate confirmed John Bryson as Secretary of Commerce. Bryson succeeds Gary Locke, who is now the ambassador to China.

Sen. Rob Portman voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Sherrod Brown voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act of 2011 - Vote Rejected (50-50)
Last week the Senate rejected consideration of this bill that would allocate $30 billion in grants to state and local governments to pay to hire or retain teachers and $5 billion in grants to governments and other groups to pay for law enforcement officers and emergency personnel. This was one component of the president’s broader jobs bill that was rejected earlier in the month.

Sen. Rob Portman voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Sherrod Brown voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 - Vote Agreed to (82-16, 2 Not Voting)
The Senate reached the necessary 60 votes to end debate on a legislative package that combines the fiscal 2012 Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science (S 1572) and Transportation-HUD (S 1596) appropriations bills. When they return from a weeklong recess, senators will resume consideration of the bill.

Sen. Rob Portman voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Sherrod Brown voted YES......send e-mail or see bio


Upcoming Votes
Internal Revenue Code - H.R.674
The House is scheduled to vote this week on a bill to repeal a 3 percent withholding requirement on government contractor payments.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Legislative Action: 10th District and State - 10172011

In this MegaVote for Ohio's 10th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes
Senate: Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2011
Senate: American Jobs Act of 2011
Senate: United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
Senate: United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act
Senate: United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act
House: United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act
House: United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act
House: United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
House: EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011

Upcoming Congressional Bills
Senate: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012

Editor's Note: The House is in recess this week.
Recent Senate Votes

Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2011 - Vote Passed (63-35, 2 Not Voting)
The Senate passed this bill last week that would allow economic sanctions to be placed on China for keeping its currency value artificially low. The House is unlikely to vote on the measure.
Sen. Rob Portman voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Sherrod Brown voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

American Jobs Act of 2011 - Vote Rejected (50-49, 1 Not Voting)
The Senate did not reach the necessary 60 votes to end debate on the president’s comprehensive $447 billion jobs bill, effectively tabling the legislation. Parts of the bill will likely be considered in multiple smaller bills.
Sen. Rob Portman voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Sherrod Brown voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act - Vote Passed (83-15, 2 Not Voting)
On Wednesday, the Senate voted to implement a trade pact with South Korea. The House approved the bill earlier in the day and the president is expected to sign the bill into law.
Sen. Rob Portman voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Sherrod Brown voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act - Vote Passed (77-22, 1 Not Voting)
The Senate approved a trade pact with Panama. The House passed the bill earlier the same day and the president is expected to sign it into law.
Sen. Rob Portman voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Sherrod Brown voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act - Vote Passed (66-33, 1 Not Voting)
The Senate passed this bill to implement a trade agreement with Colombia. The House approved the bill earlier in the day and the president is expected to sign it into law.
Sen. Rob Portman voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Sherrod Brown voted NO......send e-mail or see bio


Recent House Votes

United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act - Vote Passed (262-167, 4 Not Voting)
On Wednesday, the House passed this bill to implement a trade pact with Colombia. The Senate approved the bill later in the day and the president is expected to sign it into law.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act - Vote Passed (300-129, 4 Not Voting)
The House approved this bill to implement a trade pact with Panama. The Senate approved the bill later in the day and the president is expected to sign it into law.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act - Vote Passed (278-151, 4 Not Voting)
The House passed this trade agreement with South Korea. The Senate approved the bill later in the day and the president is expected to sign it into law.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011 - Vote Passed (275-142, 16 Not Voting)
The House passed this bill that would delay EPA emissions rules for boilers, solid-waste incinerators and process heaters, requiring the EPA to re-propose the rules and finalize them exactly 15 months after the bill’s enactment. The Senate is unlikely to vote on the legislation.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

Upcoming Votes

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 - H.R.2112
The Senate is expected to consider a fiscal 2012 appropriations measure that incorporates three spending bills: Agriculture (H.R. 2112), Commerce-Justice-Science (S. 1572) and Transportation-HUD (S. 1596).

Public Meetings on Proposed WestShore Corridor Transportation Project Plan

GREATER CLEVELAND – In the near future, residents, regional visitors and commuter could have safe, convenient new options for travel between major points in Erie, Lorain and Cuyahoga Counties including commuter bus and rail, according to planners on the WestShore Transportation Project. However, new local funding sources must be identified, further studies undertaken, and railroad and intercounty agreements inked before a major new service like commuter rail service is ready to operate.

On behalf of project co-sponsors Lorain County Board of Commissioners/Lorain County Transit and Lorain County Community Alliance, the WestShore Commuter Rail Task Force and communities in Lorain County, Erie County and Cuyahoga County, will hold three public meetings to present study findings to-date for recommended travel options, costs, benefits and funding/financing for the WestShore Corridor.  Public comments are needed in order to finalize the proposed package of options designed to improve longer-distance public transit service between the WestShore counties of Erie, Lorain and Cuyahoga.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend one or more of the following meetings:

Cuyahoga County—October 24, 2011               
Lakewood City Hall                                   
Auditorium                                               
12650 Detroit Avenue                               
Lakewood, OH 44107                               
6-8 pm                                                   

Lorain County—October 26, 2011
Black River Landing
421 Black River Lane
Lorain, OH 44052
6-8 pm

Erie County -- October 25, 2011
Erie County Administration Building
3rd Floor Commissioner’s Chambers
2900 Columbus Avenue
Sandusky, OH 44870
6-8 pm



For more information, please contact Tim Rosenberger, PB at 216-832-2952, Nancy Lyon Stadler, Michael Baker, Jr., Inc. at 216-776-6814 or Marissa Beechuk, BrownFlynn at
440-484-0100, ext.211.

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WESTSHORE CORRIDOR TRANSPORTATION STUDY BACKGROUND

The WestShore Corridor Transportation Project (WCTP) seeks to address the lack of public transportation options for travel in the WestShore Corridor, which extends from downtown Cleveland through western Cuyahoga, Lorain, and Erie Counties to Sandusky. The need for improvements is based on several factors including a lack of public transit options for inter-county travel, lack of transit options within Lorain and Erie Counties, and the need for more sustainable land use patterns in suburban growth areas.

While the development of commuter rail service along the Norfolk Southern (former Nickel Plate) rail line that passes through Lakewood, Bay Village and much of northern Lorain County has been the goal for many citizens and political leaders in the WestShore Corridor, the analysis conducted for the WCTP indicates that a transit market must first be established within the WestShore Corridor before commuter rail can become a reality. Currently, commuter bus services to downtown Cleveland operate from Medina, Summit, Portage and Lake counties. Lorain County is the most populous county surrounding Cleveland that does not have bus service to downtown Cleveland. The WCTP suggests that an inter-county transit market could be established in several phases.

In Phase 1, during the next five years, would include implementation of commuter bus service between Lorain County and downtown Cleveland.  The proposed service would include basic commuter bus service between the city of Lorain and downtown Cleveland with stops at Black River Landing, Midway Mall, and two new park and ride lots located in Sheffield and Avon. In this phase, Lorain County Transit would be restored to its pre-2009 service levels to distribute passengers throughout Lorain County. 

Implementing this service would cost approximately $11 million per year in buying buses and outfitting park-and-ride lots in Lorain County. The annual estimated annual operating cost of Phase 1 is $8.3 million. While commuter bus service is made operational, work would continue on the analysis of the benefits and environmental impacts of the commuter rail service to allow for that service to be developed in the future. Discussions with the Norfolk-Southern Railroad about use of their rail line for commuter rail service began as part of the West Shore study, and would continue through the first phase of development. 

In Phase 2 (Years 6-10), commuter bus service in Lorain County would expand, and commuter bus service between Erie County and downtown Cleveland would begin. In this phase two new bus routes would be started to supplmenet the route operating between Lorain and downtown Cleveland. One new route would operate between Sheffield and downtown Cleveland, with one park and ride lot located in Sheffield and two in Avon. A third commuter bus route would begin providing service between Sandusky and downtown Cleveland, with stops at park and ride facilities located in Sandusky, Huron, and Vermilion. 

The estimated cost of this second phase of service would be about $16 million for additional buses and park and ride lot, and about $10 million in additional annual operating cost. 

Also in this phase, regional transit officials would complete the analysis of commuter rail service and reach an agreement with the Norfolk Southern railroad regarding use of their rail line, and would begin the design of improvements to the rail line, stations and other infrastructure needed to operate commuter rail service.
WESTSHORE CORRIDOR TRANSPORTATION STUDY BACKGROUND - Continued
Page 2


In Phase 3 (Years 10-15), commuter rail service would begin operation and would replace some or all of the commuter bus services in Lorain County, and would perhaps replace some bus services in Cuyahoga County.  The commuter rail service would operate between Black River Landing in Lorain and downtown Cleveland. Stations would be located in Lorain, Sheffield, Avon, Westlake, Bay Village, Rocky River, Lakewood and Cleveland. It is hoped that many of the park and ride facilities developed in the first two phases of the project would now function as park and ride lots at the commuter rail stations. Commuter bus service would continue to be operated between Sandusky and Cleveland as in Phase 2. Extension of commuter rail service to Sandusky and other Erie County locations would be re-examined as a possibility for the future.

The WestShore Study has estimated that it would cost nearly $160 million in improvements to the Norfolk Southern rail line and associated stations and park-and-ride lots, and in purchasing new rail cars and other equipment, to operate a startup commuter rail service.  The estimated annual cost of operating the commuter rail and commuter bus services in Phase 3 is approximately $17 million.

There are many challenges to developing intercounty transit service in the WestShore corridor. The most important of these is the establishment of a sustainable funding source to support the service. Currently, Lorain and Erie Counties lack a secure dedicated funding source for mass transit service to match the 1% county wide sales tax that supports the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) in Cuyahoga County. A source for those county’s portions of the cost of operating the service would be necessary to allow service to be operated. Identifying a potential operator of the commuter bus and rail service-whether it be Lorain County Transit (LCT), GCRTA, Erie County Transit, some combination of those agencies, or a new agency, is another issue that must be resolved before operation can begin. The high cost of commuter rail may be beyond the funding capacity of the region at this time, but the phased approach may allow for the more fiscally manageable commuter bus service to begin operating while the region works toward the goal of developing commuter rail.  

The budget for this phase of the WestShore Corridor Transportation Project is $423,000 and was managed by Lorain County.  Funds for 80% of this budget came from a Federal appropriation secured by Congresswoman Betty Sutton in 2008.  The remaining 20% of the project budget was contributed by local sources including the private sector, municipalities, transit authorities and government agencies from all three project area counties. Representatives from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), GCRTA, ODOT, Lorain County Transit and other organizations helped in manage the project via the WestShore Corridor Commuter Rail Task Force. 

Public comments will be accepted through November 2, 2011 at WestshoreAA@pbworld.com.