Congress

While just a few weeks ago, we were gearing up for the House to move a new transportation bill through the Committee and then the floor, action has once again been delayed.

On September 17^th, the U.S. House Transportation Committee will be voting on the transportation bill.  One of the issues they’ll be debating is whether or not to continue the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), which is the main source of funding for Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking. 

While members of Congress have been back in their districts meeting with constituents, House transportation committee staff has been huddled in Washington working on a transportation bill. You may recall that in July, the Senate completed action on its version of the transportation bill but the House instead pushed to extend current transportation law a few more months.

After weeks of work, the Senate passed the DRIVE Act today to reauthorize transportation policy and funding, on a vote of 65-34.  However, the House of Representatives has forced the Senate’s hand into accepting a three-month extension of current law.

Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) unveiled their new six-year transportation bill.  The DRIVE Act (Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act) primarily shores up our existing interstate and road-focused transportation system.  Unsurprisingly given its name, the bill does not adequately address the needs of communities all across th

Late in the evening of June 9, as part of the House consideration of the transportation appropriations bill, Rep.

If you have been following our federal transportation updates for a while, this update may sound a bit like Groundhog’s Day.  Yet again, Congress has voted to extend the MAP-21 transportation law and yet again, lack of funding is the culprit.

As the new Congress convenes, pressure is on legislators to keep transportation dollars flowing.  The current transportation law, MAP-21, expires in just four months in May 2015.