ATSSA Board Member Cindy Williams will testify on Capitol Hill before the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee on Wednesday regarding roadway safety and the rising number of traffic fatalities.

Williams is president of Time Striping in Van Buren, Ark., and president of the Arkansas ATSSA Chapter.

The hearing will be livestreamed at 10 a.m. on the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure website.

As ATSSA reported on May 17, traffic fatalities across the U.S. rose 10.5% in 2021 to a projected 42,915 deaths, reaching a 16-year high, according to statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Take part in ATSSA’s 2021 Legislative Briefing & Virtual Fly-In from the comfort and safety of home. The April 21-22 event is free for members and will be completely online making access to Capitol Hill policymakers convenient and effective.

Last year’s virtual event proved popular with ATSSA members and provided a great way to interact with legislators without the need for travel. Participants drove their message to Capitol Hill and enjoyed direct interactions with members of Congress and congressional staff involved in funding and policy decisions.

ATSSA’s Legislative Briefing & Fly-In equips members to present key roadway safety infrastructure industry issues directly to political leaders and this year’s issues are key for the industry. The FAST Act, or Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, was a hot topic last year as ATSSA members advocated successfully for a one-year extension but a new deadline is looming.

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The Senate this evening approved a one-year extension of the federal highway bill, which would have expired at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday.

The extension was included in a continuing resolution (CR) passed by both chambers to avert a government shutdown. The stopgap bill pushes the deadline to pass the yearly spending budgets for the federal government to Dec. 11.

The Senate approved the action by an 84-10 vote.

ATSSA’s annual Legislative Briefing & Fly-In wrapped up its first virtual event on Wednesday with a day full of meetings with legislators on Capitol Hill and their respective staffs.

Meetings ran from morning to evening as ATSSA members from across the country had the opportunity to deliver firsthand their priorities for the roadway safety infrastructure industry.

ATSSA’s Government Relations Team set up 54 meetings with legislative offices representing districts in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

ATSSA members heard from three members of Congress and a U.S. Senator today during the first day of the Association’s two-day Legislative Briefing & Fly-In.

This year’s event was handled via virtual format with nearly 70 people taking part from across the country. Two members of Congress spoke from their Capitol Hill offices.

On Wednesday, ATSSA members are scheduled for 54 meetings with federal legislators or their staff members.

The Democratic National Convention kicks off today and our Government Relations Team is on the move, making contact with members of Congress in support of ATSSA’s interests in roadway safety.

While he won’t be able to be there in person,  Vice President of Government Relations Nate Smith will be taking part in virtual conversations with political leaders about key ATSSA issues including cybersecurity and technology, energy and the environment, and the role of the private sector in economic recovery.

Smith also plans outreach during next week's Republican National Convention.

The House of Representatives today passed H.R. 2, known as the Moving Forward Act, a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan covering not only traditional transportation, but also schools, housing, drinking water, broadband, and clean energy.

The legislation, led by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.), included the language from the $494 billion Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act, known as the INVEST in America Act. The bill passed along a party-line vote of 0-0, with Republicans opposing how the bill was crafted and the inclusion of provisions focused on environmental protections.

The Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act is headed for a full vote in the House of Representatives prior to July 4, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) who said voting could begin as early as June 30.

After a markup process that lasted a little more than 24 hours, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee voted to pass the INVEST in America Act late Thursday night. The committee voted along party lines, 35-25, to pass the five-year surface transportation reauthorization through the committee. The markup saw the consideration of 177 amendments over a two-day span that, at times, became heated as Republicans made it clear they believed they were shut out in drafting the $494 billion package.

ATSSA commends the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on moving the INVEST in America Act out of committee today. The bill, which includes historic funding levels for roadway safety infrastructure projects, moves the highway bill reauthorization process closer to the finish line before the looming Oct. 1 deadline.