In the closing days of the legislative session, lawmakers don't seem to be much closer in agreement on the specifics of a transportation package. However, they are making progress on one issue that really matters to people with MS: special needs transportation! As this article from the Seattle Times indicates, Senator King formally introduced his proposal yesterday (Senate Bills 6577, 6578, 6579), and in an exciting twist, contains even more funding for special needs transportation than we saw just a few weeks ago. His proposal now suggests increasing special needs funding by $160 million!
The special needs program funds paratransit services, like King County's Access, Snohomish County's Dial-a-Ride, and Pierce County's SHUTTLE. It also provides grants for accessible shuttles to community groups like senior centers. We frequently hear from people with MS who have a very difficult time getting around the community and we expect that this increase in funding will make it easier for people with MS to get to where they need to go when they can no longer drive.
If you haven't already, be sure to tell legislators that we need to fully fund special needs transportation! It just takes a few clicks and you can get an email off to your legislator today.
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