News Archive
D.C. legislative update: More support for legislative priorities
Two legislative priorities gained support in early October. Democratic U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas (Dist. 30) is the latest legislator to sign up to support H.R. 6016 — the Bus Operator and Pedestrian Protection Act, which was introduced over the summer. The bill [...]
Former rail worker gets prison for scamming disability program
The Seattle Times reports that a Seattle man who took advantage of the Railroad Retirement disability program for decades will receive prison time and have to pay back double the more than $177,000 he took. Paul LaMarche, 67, claimed disability in 1988 and began receiving RRB [...]
FAA allocates $205 million for infrastructure grants to small airports
WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded $205 million in supplemental funding for infrastructure grants to small airports in 34 states. More than half of these airports serve rural [...]
FRA reactivates safety advisory committee
A notice published in the Federal Register in late September announced that the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) would be rechartered for two years after a period of dormancy. RSAC advises the administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and makes recom [...]
ITI Business Development Enhanced With SBA Help, Module on Diversity
The ITI Business Development program has completed a highly successful pilot program, garnering high praise, strong interest, and—as pilot programs are intended to do—important enhancements to the ongoing curriculum. The post-pilot courses include a Phase-Three collaboration [...]
Unions Stopping Addiction
by Bill Salvatore Local 28 SMART MAP Director At a park in Flushing, N.Y., Local 28 took a swing at striking out addiction by hosting a softball tournament highlighting the issue. The opioid epidemic has been declared a national health crisis, with Hydrocodone, Oxycont [...]
Veterans Get Chance At Career Through LA Program
Military veterans who have honorably transitioned into civilian life often don’t know what their next steps will be. Instead of doing a job to get by, a boot camp to introduce veterans to a career as a sheet metal worker is offered by the Southern California Sheet Metal JATC [...]
Today Is National Voter Registration Day
Voting is one of the most important things we can do to effect change in our local communities and now, more than ever, we must hold our elected leaders accountable. As you may know, SMART has a special stake in our local communities. It’s where decisions are made on transit [...]