ATSSA will host a live, virtual Town Hall on Tuesday on the highway bill recently proposed by House Democrats known as the INVEST in America Act.

Tuesday’s Town Hall will feature Rep. Dan Lipinski, a Democrat representing Illinois’ 3^rd Congressional District, and ATSSA Vice President of Government Relations Nathan Smith.

UPDATE: ATSSA extended the deadline for submissions to July 9 at 11:59 p.m.

ATSSA seeks your proposals to lead educational sessions for the 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo scheduled for San Diego from Jan. 29 through Feb. 2. The event may have some new twists in 2021 due to the global pandemic but it’s still on and applications to present your industry insights and expertise are now available. Applications are now open for proposals and due by June 25.

“We are excited to see what topics and ideas the industry will bring forward with this Call for Proposals,” said ATSSA Training Program Manager Jessica Scheyder. “Sessions that can be conducted virtually or pre-recorded will be of particular interest, as well as sessions that address the obstacles and opportunities related to the current pandemic environment.”

As our industry and our country navigate challenging times, we at ATSSA continue to look for ways in which to facilitate an environment that allows our members and their employees to have the opportunity to safely work and own businesses.  As such, we were outraged by the senseless death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. As a leader in this industry, as a man in this world and as a father, I grieve what happened there as well as every act of injustice in America today. Supporting a citizen’s right to peacefully protest and advocate change is inherent to what this country stands for and will be what ultimately leads to a safer, stronger America.

Today, the Democratic leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released proposed legislation to reauthorize the federal transportation program through Fiscal Year 2025. The bill, Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act (INVEST in America Act), was introduced by Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chair Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Chair Dan Lipinski (D-IL).

The proposal authorizes federal transportation funding for five years, at a total of $494 billion, $319 billion of which will be for highway investments.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (June 3, 2020) – The American Traffic Safety Services Foundation awarded 14 Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarships and three Chuck Bailey Memorial Scholarships to college and university students around the country for the 2020-21 academic year.

The Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship Program provides financial assistance for post-high school education to dependents of roadway workers killed or permanently disabled in roadway work zones. The program is competitive and provides scholarships with values up to $10,000 per student each year. Applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to volunteerism may be eligible for an additional $1,000 in honor of Chuck Bailey, a member of the roadway safety industry who died in 2002.

Fahad Alhajri is a relative newcomer to the transportation industry but is keenly interested in work zone safety and pursuing his goals of becoming the state work zone engineer for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and a national expert in temporary traffic control.

So when he learned about the Marty Weed Engineering Scholarship that would cover travel expenses up to $1,500 to attend ATSSA’s Annual Convention & Traffic Expo, he submitted an application.

Alhajri and Lance McDonald of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) were the first two recipients of the scholarship.

If you couldn’t tune in yesterday, you can now watch ATSSA’s second Town Hall in which we heard from ATSSA staff, a master instructor and two members who have been using the online training resources.

“Innovations in Online Training to Keep Your Employees Engaged" covered the many options ATSSA now offers for training and the changes implemented to meet members’ needs after social distancing guidelines and travel restrictions related to COVID-19 limited the opportunity for in-person classes.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner sent letters to Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao this week strongly endorsing the Alliance for Automotive Innovation’s letter committing to fully utilize the bands of spectrum allocated for transportation safety.

“The commitment undertaken by the Auto Innovators reflects a watershed moment for roadway safety. This letter demonstrates a unified industry committing substantial resources and support for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X). This approach should dispel any notion that the industry will not deploy V2X or that the Safety Spectrum will not be used,” Tetschner wrote.

With social distancing in place and travel to training sites hindered, how can you keep your team equipped for their duties as essential workers in a critical industry?

ATSSA’s next Town Hall brings together industry leaders and ATSSA team members to discuss how The Association has pivoted to meet members’ training and certification needs in unprecedented times.

The April 28 session on “Innovations in Online Training to Keep Your Employees Engaged" includes a demonstration of virtual training and insights from ATSSA Master Instructor Eric Perry, who also serves as The Association’s director of innovation and technical services.