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November 30, 2018
The House Republican conference on Nov. 30 unanimously voted to elect Rep. Sam Graves to be ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the 116th Congress. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) will serve as Chairman.
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November 7, 2018
Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), who is set to become Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the 116th Congress, said Nov. 6 that a major infrastructure package funded by real dollars would be his first order of business in January. Current surface transportation law is set to expire in 2020 and infrastructure is largely viewed as one issue where bipartisan agreement will be possible next year. Of importance to truckstops and travel plazas, Rep. DeFazio spoke about the shortcomings of the $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan put forth by the Administration in early 2018, saying it was full of “pretend stuff” such as privatization and asset recycling, which could very easily lead to tolling and rest area commercialization.
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January 22, 2018
Tolls represent a regressive double tax that disproportionately hurts lower income drivers and will create significant disruptions for local communities, a representative of the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates said in a recent interview with National Public Radio (NPR).
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January 11, 2018
The Trump Administration is expected to delay its timetable for unveiling infrastructure guidelines until after the State of the Union, lawmakers said Jan. 11.
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October 25, 2017
The President’s chief economic advisor on Oct. 25 raised the possibility of increasing the federal motor fuels tax next year to help pay for the Administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan.
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May 2, 2017
President Trump said May 1 that he would consider raising the gas tax as a means of boosting infrastructure revenues, however the President stopped short of announcing a full-scale endorsement for a motor fuels tax increase.
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March 24, 2017
U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) introduced two bipartisan bills that would use revenues from tax reform to finance infrastructure.
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March 23, 2017
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on March 22 introduced legislation that he said will generate nearly $500 billion to rebuild U.S. roads, bridges and transit systems.
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March 3, 2017
Just days after President Trump reiterated his call for a $1 Trillion infrastructure package, the Administration convened a meeting of more than 15 federal agencies to begin formulating an official infrastructure proposal, including potential projects and funding options.
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February 9, 2017
For the second time in as many weeks, a key congressional committee held a hearing to consider funding options for improving the nation's infrastructure. Throughout the hearing, senators emphasized the need to find direct funding opportunities -- such as raising the motor fuel excise tax -- because private financing does not provide a complete solution, especially in rural communities.
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February 2, 2017
In the first of what will surely be many Congressional hearings on highway policy this year, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard from executives at FedEx, Cargill, BMW, and Vermeer Corp., as well as the AFL-CIO. The hearing was widely bipartisan, and lawmakers called it a good first step in the process of developing a massive infrastructure plan. But it remains clear that Congress and the White House still have a long way to go before they can agree on a viable path forward to raise the necessary revenue to improve the nation's transportation system.
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January 18, 2017
An overwhelming majority of the general public ranks infrastructure investment as a top priority provided it comes in the form of new direct federal spending, according to a new poll conducted for Politico and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of public health.
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December 1, 2016
President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Treasury Department reiterated the incoming administration's commitment to passing a massive infrastructure package calling it a big priority for the administration.
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November 14, 2016
Less than one week after Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States, it is clear that the President-elect places a high priority on infrastructure spending. "We are going to . . . rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We're going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none. And we will put millions of our people back to work as we rebuild it," Trump said in his victory speech.
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September 30, 2016
In a potentially critical development for off-highway businesses such as travel plazas and truckstops, the U.S. Department of Transportation is soliciting public input regarding expanding the types of goods and services that may be offered at highway rest areas located on the right-of-way. The Department is specifically requesting input as to what constitutes a "vending machine," noting that technological advancements in this area have been significant in recent years.
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August 19, 2016
The nation’s infrastructure has gotten worse over the last five years and the Federal government should bear the primary responsibility for funding repairs, according to a recent survey of 2,000 registered voters.
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June 29, 2016
As East Coast states experiment with novel highway funding strategies and a new report from a transportation research group highlights the need for additional highway revenue, NATSO's leadership on transportation funding policy becomes even more important.
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May 31, 2016
Members of Congress and former transportation officials are pushing for a long-term funding fix for the Highway Trust Fund.
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December 11, 2015
The five-year highway bill signed into law Dec. 4 by President Obama utilizes a variety of funding mechanisms that are unrelated to transportation. On the one hand, it is a positive development that Congress was able to agree on a long-term package, providing the certainty needed for substantial investments in highway-related projects. This ultimately could make finding a way to pay for highways even more difficult when the current bill expires in 2020.
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December 10, 2015
The five-year, $305 billion highway bill signed into Dec. 4 by President Obama titled Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) contained several important provisions that stand to affect the trucking industry and the truckstops that also operate commercial vehicles. Below is a brief overview of those issues.
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