The U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 1 voted 365-51 to extend surface transportation programs nder the FAST Act for 30 days after Congress failed to reach an agreement on passage […]
10-04-2021 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio said that Democrats will have a ‘plan B’ to ensure that highway and transit authorization programs do not lapse today if lawmakers fail to pass the infrastructure bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reaffirmed her plan to bring the bipartisan infrastructure bill, known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to the House floor today. The IIJA contains a reauthorization of surface transportation law, which also is set to expire today.
The Senate will continue to debate the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package, as lawmakers process hundreds of amendments leading up to an eventual vote.
08-05-2021 The Senate is expected to vote this week on $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill after weeks of negotiations. The 2,702-page bill text was submitted to the full Senate late August 1 after Democratic and Republican senators who negotiated the plan spent the weekend finalizing legislative text.
08-02-2021 The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced its five-year, $547 billion INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684) early this morning after 19 hours of debate. The measure passed despite opposition from Republicans who objected to Green New Deal Initiatives and a lack of bipartisan input. The committee voted 38 to 26 to advance H.R. 3684 after considering nearly 200 amendments and adopting a Manager’s packet of amendments.
06-10-2021 NATSO, the national association representing the travel plaza and truckstop industry, and the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) today commended the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for advancing a bipartisan, five-year, $303.5 billion highway reauthorization bill, “Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021.”
05-27-2021 The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) unanimously approved $303.5 billion five-year surface transportation bill, in which NATSO has been closely engaged with lawmakers and staff and which would increase infrastructure funding by about 34 percent over the FAST Act . The committee also adopted a manager’s package of amendments to the underlying bill. That list of amendments has not yet been released, though about 90 had been filed as of Wednesday morning. EPW’s “Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021” does not include any language expanding tolling or scaling back the prohibition on commercial activities at Interstate rest areas. STRA includes $500 million per year for five years for electric vehicle charging an d other alternative fuel infrastructure, including hydrogen, natural gas and propane.
05-26-2021 The next 10 weeks — up until Congress’s August Recess — could be one of the most intense, consequential periods of policymaking that the travel center industry has confronted in many years. The House of Representatives is pursuing a more aggressive, climate-focused infrastructure bill that could include corporate tax increases and be passed on a party-line vote. In the Senate, a more bipartisan approach focusing on traditional “roads and bridges” infrastructure is being negotiated.
05-18-2021President Biden on March 31 released the first phase of his “Build Back Better” proposal, the “American Jobs Plan,” focusing on the infrastructure components of the White House’s recovery efforts as well as addressing climate change and job creation. The package includes $2.3 trillion in spending over eight years with a $621 billion investment in transportation and the resiliency of our infrastructure. Specifically, the proposal provides $115 billion for bridge, highway, and road investments.
04-01-2021 The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Feb. 24 kicked off the first hearing on President Biden’s “Build Back Better” initiative, with lawmakers and witnesses from both sides of the aisle discussing the need for substantial federal investment in infrastructure.
02-25-2021 Money to expand the amount of commercial truck parking could be inserted into the House infrastructure package, with dedicated funding potentially coming from the Highway Trust Fund, House Transportation Chair Peter DeFazio said Feb. 10 during the House Transportation and Infrastructure mark up to its $96 billion title of a Covid relief package.
02-11-2021