Rep. Brown (D-MD) Introduces Bill to Expand Safe Routes
We are pleased to announce that Congressman Anthony Brown (D-MD) has joined with seven other House Democrats (Reps. Brownley-CA, Espaillat-NY, Lipinski-IL, Cohen-TN, Huffman-CA, Titus-NV, and Carson-IN) to introduce the Safe Routes to School Expansion Act, HR 5891.
The legislation proposes making several improvements to the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), which is funded at nearly $2.4 billion per year. The bill would:
House Leadership Prioritizes Infrastructure
Today, Democratic leadership in the US House of Representatives unveiled a $760 billion infrastructure package called “Moving America and the Environment Forward.” It is an outline of legislation the House plans to take up in the coming months, including surface transportation, broadband, drinking water, airports, and waterways.
Rescissions Cancelled; New House TAP Bill Introduced
Late last week, Congress passed a bill to continue funding the federal government agencies and programs until the end of December, giving them several more weeks to keep negotiating on spending levels. Also included in that bill, which President Trump signed into law, was language to cancel the pending transportation rescission. As we have discussed a few times in recent months, this $7.6 billion rescission would have likely taken more than one year’s funding away from the Transportation
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about how States are Using TAP
It's the all-important end of the federal fiscal year, so we have a lot to report on for how states are handling their Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding. We always see a lot of activity in the last quarter of a fiscal year, but this year we saw more than usual because states are preparing for an impending rescission.
Reps. Brownley and Espaillat Step Up For Safety
We congratulate Representatives Julia Brownley (D-CA-26) and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13) for introducing the Safe and Friendly for the Environment (SAFE) Streets Act. H.R. 3040 would help make sure that federal safety funds are directed towards projects that make walking and rolling safer.
Senators Cardin and Wicker Lead on TAP
This week, Senators Cardin (D-MD) and Wicker (R-MS) introduced S. 1098, the Transportation Alternatives Enhancements Act. We applaud them for their leadership on this key funding program for Safe Routes to School, biking and walking projects and programs across the country.
An Explainer: State Implementation of the Transportation Alternatives Program
Stay up to date on how much TAP funding your state is obligating for biking and walking projects.
States Leap Ahead with TAP Funding
Every quarter, we look at how state departments of transportation are handling their allocations for the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). This is a particularly important quarter as it marks the end of the federal fiscal year, which is the deadline for states to obligate their FY2015 funding or lose it.
States Buckle Down on Spending TAP; Some States Risk Losing Funds
Each quarter, we take a look at state progress with implementing the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). For the quarter covering April to June 2018, states obligated nearly $131 million in TAP funding, with all states except for three making forward progress. (Obligation means that the state DOT has committed funding to a local TAP project and is a key step towards actually getting the project built or implemented.)