Majority of Senate Supports CERTS Act to Help Decimated Motorcoach Industry
ABA – the industry leader advancing North American motorcoach travel and tourism – thanks the 52 Senators who have signed up to co-sponsor the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Act in the Senate.
“The CERTS Act is the lifeline the industry needs to survive the pandemic,” said Peter Pantuso, president & CEO of ABA. “We thank Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and the majority of the Senate who recognize the importance of this industry to our country and are standing up to save it”
The motorcoach industry has been decimated since the country's travel was taken over by the COVID-19 pandemic in early March. Before the pandemic, the American motorcoach industry moved 600 million people a year through commuter services, scheduled intercity and airport services, and charter/tour services and in emergency situations, which is comparable to the 700 million passengers moved by the domestic airline industry and 20 times the passenger number moved by Amtrak. The 3,000 small, family-owned businesses are currently operating at 20 percent of its annual capacity. Today, the industry is sitting on the brink of disaster with financial institutions estimating that 40 percent of these will close forever by the end of this year, if they do not receive direct and immediate financial help from the federal government.
“We have surveyed the industry on how they are coping with the pandemic and the majority of respondents said they could be out of business in less than six months,” said Pantuso. “The question is, if we are not there to provide Americans safe, affordable and accessible transportation, who will?”
To help the industry, Sens. Reed and Collins introduced the CERTS Act in July and now the bill has 52 additional bi-partisan Senator co-sponsors. The CERTS Act is one of the few relief bills in the Senate that has a majority of support. This bipartisan legislation would provide $10 billion in emergency economic relief funding, in the form of grants (no less than 50 percent of total funding) and other economic assistance, through the U.S. Department of the Treasury, to motorcoach operators, school bus companies, U.S. flag passenger vessel operators, and other U.S. transportation service providers designated by the Secretary of the Treasury in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation.
In addition to garnering a majority in support, 26 Senators sent a bi-partisan letter earlier this week to Senate leaders Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) requesting them to support the bill.
Senators who have signed on to co-sponsor the CERTS Act include:
Sen. Susan Collins [R-ME]
Sen. Jack Reed [D-R.I.]
Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R-AK]
Sen. Angus King, Jr. [I-ME]
Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan [D-NH]
Sen. Jeff Merkley [D-OR]
Sen. Robert Menendez [D-NJ]
Sen. Richard Blumenthal [D-CT]
Sen. Chris Van Hollen [D-MD]
Sen. Cory Booker, [D-NJ]
Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D-CA]
Sen. Thomas Carper [D-DE]
Sen. Robert Casey, Jr. [D-PA]
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, [D-NH]
Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D-MN]
Sen. Steve Daines [R-MT]
Sen. Doug Jones [D-AL]
Sen. Tina Smith, [D-MN]
Sen. Ron Wyden [D-OR]
Sen. Dan Sullivan [R-AK]
Sen. Gary Peters [D-MI]
Sen. Elizabeth Warren [D-MA]
Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]
Sen. Mazie Hirono[D-HI]
Sen. Thom Tillis [R-NC]
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand [D-NY]
Sen. Kevin Cramer[R-ND]
Sen. Tim Kaine [D-VA]
Sen. Richard Burr [R-NC]
Sen. Chuck Grassley [R-IA]
Sen. Joni Ernst [R-IA]
Sen. Roy Blunt [R-MO]
Sen. Jerry Moran [R-KS]
Sen. Edward Markey [D-MA]
Sen. Tammy Baldwin [D-WI]
Sen. Debbie Stabenow [D-MI]
Sen. Bill Cassidy [R-LA]
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith [R-MS]
Sen. Jacky Rosen [D-NV]
Sen. Pat Roberts [R-KS]
Sen. Tammy Duckworth [D-IL]
Sen. Mike Rounds [R-SD]
Sen. Lindsey Graham [R-SC]
Sen. John Boozman [R-AR]
Sen. Martha McSally [R-AZ]
Sen. Christopher Coons [D-DE]
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto [D-NV]
Sen. Jon Tester [D-MT]
Sen. John Cornyn [R-TX]
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema [D-AZ]
Sen. Christopher Murphy [D-CT]
Sen. Tom Cotton [R-AR]
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