House moves closer to passage of surface transportation reauthorization

The House Rules Committee is expected to hold its second meeting of the week today on the INVEST in America Act, the surface transportation reauthorization proposal that passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last month.

The meetings will determine which amendments that have been filed from members of the full House of Representatives are deemed germane, setting up a final vote on the House floor potentially as early as this week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for months has targeted passage prior to the July 4^th recess, and the actions by the Rules Committee should keep that timetable in play.

Out of the 261 amendments filed, ATSSA is very supportive of three:

• Amendment #137 led by Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) would increase the amount of safety spending required by states in rural areas from 7.5% to 10% when the fatalities trigger for high risk rural roads is reached.
• Amendment #160 led by Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) would increase the tribal transportation program safety set aside from 2% to 4%.
• Amendment #59 led by Rep. Garrett Graves (R-La.) and Rep. Vincente Gonzalez (D-Texas) would create a grant program for states to enhance highway safety through roadway improvements which support testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles.

Check back to the ATSSA blog for more information on a final House vote, expected later this week.