Ohio first state with certified SSO Program; Williams begins as deputy FTA administrator

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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Ohio became the first state to complete the process and obtain a Federal Transit Administration-certified (FTA) State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program.

There are 30 states where rail transit systems operate that are required to obtain SSO Program certification. FTA is notifying these states of the SSO Program final rule, which took effect in April 2016, mandating states obtain program certification by April 15, 2019; a deadline that can not be waived or extended.

States that fail to establish an FTA-certified SSO Program by the deadline are at risk of having all transit dollars withheld until compliance is met. The FTA is encouraging states to act quickly to enact any necessary legislation, statutes and regulations, particularly those states whose legislatures meet only part time or biennially. Currently, seven states still require state legislative or executive action prior to FTA certification (Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico and Tennessee).

In other FTA news, K. Jane Williams has been appointed deputy administrator of the FTA. Prior to joining FTA, Williams was the director of the Washington Area Transit Office in the Maryland Department of Transportation. In that role, she worked closely with the leadership of the Maryland Transit Administration and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). She previously served in the executive branch at the Department of Energy and Department of Labor under President Reagan and the Department of Interior under President George H.W. Bush.

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