Grace Napolitano Questions Sec. Pete Buttigieg On 2028 Olympics Games Held In Los Angeles

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On Thursday, Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) questioned Sec. of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

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Transcript

00:00Thank you Mr. Chair. Secretary Burdick, I reiterate the invitation for you to visit

00:06the 31st District in California again. But as you know, Los Angeles is preparing for

00:13the 2028 Olympics, representing the ninth time our nation has hosted the world's greatest

00:20sporting event. DOT is aware of the scale and scope of games to be hosted by Southern

00:25California in 2028. What steps are you taking, or do you envision taking, to make sure the

00:31mobility plan for athletes, officials, and fans is fully supported by DOT, sir?

00:40We're enthusiastic, of course, about the Olympics coming to the United States. I've met with

00:44LA 28 leaders and leaders from the region. We want to make sure that we're teaming up

00:49well with the Olympic Committee and the city, everybody who's involved. Because, of course,

00:56one of the most complex dimensions of running the Olympic Games is getting people to where

00:59they need to be. They have an ambitious vision for making new transit, or newly borrowed

01:04transit vehicles, from around the country available. We're working with them on that

01:09through our Federal Transit Administration, and welcome opportunities to work with Congress

01:13too to make sure the right resources are in place.

01:16That's wonderful. I know that last time the Olympics were hosted in LA, they talked about

01:21nighttime driving delivery trucks.

01:23I'm sorry?

01:26Nighttime driving, the delivery trucks.

01:29Yes, we want to make sure that that's available as well, and we think the partnerships with

01:38our department and the technical assistance, including experience gained from prior iterations,

01:43is going to be helpful here.

01:44Thank you. The BIL law, we improve funding and requirements for the installation of protective

01:49shields in buses to prevent assault on bus drivers. How has the provision been implemented,

01:56and have there been obstacles to improving safety measures in bus drivers or passengers?

02:01We hear they want more protection now.

02:05We're very focused on making sure that we support both transit worker safety and rider

02:10safety, and in my discussions with operators and their representatives, there's certainly

02:15an interest in the physical dimension of that.

02:18FDA's published a proposed general directive on actions to mitigate the risk of assaults

02:24on transit workers. We've also updated the National Public Transportation Safety Plan

02:30to enhance the guidance on how to make sure that systems are performing adequately and

02:38that we have some visibility on that.

02:40We finalized a rule known as the PTAS, the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans

02:47Regulation that has a number of requirements, including performance targets, the advancement

02:52of systems, as you mentioned, that can help protect riders and workers, as well as things

02:57like de-escalation training, but with a real focus on making sure that we protect workers

03:02and riders, and we welcome further opportunities to do so, partnering with this committee.

03:06Great, because we had a hearing here in Washington years ago, and many drivers indicated they

03:13were very assaulted in various ways, and they want more protection. Well, we passed some

03:23requirement, but is it enough? Has it been enough? Are they requiring more now?

03:32I think it's safe to say that we have raised the bar with the new rule, but part of what

03:37the rule is doing is laying out standards or tools for the transit agencies themselves

03:42to use. So, we really need to maintain a partnership. We'll keep working to set not just a floor

03:47but a set of best practices as we can at the federal level, but we really need to work

03:51agency by agency, knowing that the needs are going to be different, the conditions are

03:55going to be different, but the commitment is absolutely the same, which is to make sure

03:59that anyone operating one of these transit vehicles knows that they are safe, because

04:04they deserve dignified as well as safe workplace. People count on them to get to where they're

04:10going. They ought to be able to count on that basic level of safety.

04:14Thank you very much. DOT recently provided an update to Justice 40 Initiative. The department

04:20has exceeded its goal of delivering 40 percent of the benefits for investments to disadvantaged

04:25communities. We applaud the agency for doing it, ensuring the funds from BIL to communities

04:31that have been historically neglected by the federal government. Can you elaborate in 20

04:37seconds or more the implementation? How does the department plan to build on the successes

04:41of Justice 40? To us, Justice 40 is a way of keeping a promise

04:46that the president has made that communities that were overburdened and underserved, especially

04:52with regard to past rounds of transportation investment, get their due. And that's what

04:57led to that 40 percent commitment that at least that many of the investments going out

05:02to clean energy and transportation would go to such communities.

05:05Thank you, sir. Are we out of time? I yield back.

05:08Happy to share more in writing. Mr. Perry.

05:13Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, I want to begin by giving credit where credit

05:17is due. I want to thank you for visiting South Central Pennsylvania.

Grace Napolitano Questions Sec. Pete Buttigieg On 2028 Olympics Games Held In Los Angeles

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