Voters in Maine and Texas approve infrastructure initiatives Voters in Maine and Texas approve infrastructure initiatives Pam / Wednesday, November 3, 2021 0 2136 Article rating: No rating Seven states held statewide elections on Tuesday with two states--Maine and Texas--passing ballot initiatives that will provide bonding for infrastructure projects. Voters approved a $100 million proposal for general obligation bonds for transportation infrastructure projects in Maine, with $85 million for highways and bridges, and $15 million for rail, aviation, ports and active transportation. In Texas, voters approved a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. The proposition authorizes counties to issue bonds or notes to raise funds for transportation and infrastructure in underdeveloped areas. Read more
House sets date for final infrastructure vote House sets date for final infrastructure vote Pam / Monday, September 27, 2021 0 2491 Article rating: No rating The House of Representatives is expected to vote Thursday on the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Originally, a vote had been expected as early as today. However, on Sunday evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would begin debate on IIJA today and then vote on Thursday. The current surface transportation authorization is set to expire on Thursday, meaning the House must pass the infrastructure package or a short-term extension of the Fixing America’s Surface Transporation (FAST) Act, or face the Highway Trust Fund going insolvent. Read more
Senate passes bipartisan infrastructure package Senate passes bipartisan infrastructure package Maria Robertson / Tuesday, August 10, 2021 0 5010 Article rating: 3.5 The Senate today passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The $1.2 trillion plan includes the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act (STRA) that passed through the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee earlier this year. “ATSSA applauds the passage of this historic investment in roads, bridges and safety,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said. “The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will allow ATSSA members to undertake even more lifesaving work on America’s roadways. We are encouraged by the work done in a bipartisan manner in the Senate and strongly urge the House to follow their lead in implementing a robust, long-term and safety-focused infrastructure plan.” The House will need to also pass the infrastructure plan for it to go into effect. However, members on both sides of the aisle have expressed a weariness toward the Senate version. It is unclear what the plan forward is on the legislation. Read more
Final action on a Senate infrastructure package could be a week away Final action on a Senate infrastructure package could be a week away Pam / Thursday, July 29, 2021 0 3514 Article rating: No rating Senate action Wednesday night on a bipartisan infrastructure package starts the clock on the issue but a final vote on the Senate floor could be at least a week away. The Senate voted 67-32 Wednesday night to proceed to debate on the bipartisan infrastructure package that has been agreed to by a group of 22 Republican and Democrat senators, known as the G-22. Seventeen Republican senators voted to advance the measure. The Biden administration also supported it. If passed, the legislation would then head to the House, where members of both parties have expressed concerns with the package as constructed. Read more
Congressional Road Safety Caucus puts spotlight on safety Congressional Road Safety Caucus puts spotlight on safety Transportation and safety proposals this year offer optimism for roadway safety advocates Pam / Tuesday, June 15, 2021 0 3814 Article rating: 4.0 One of the ways members of Congress shine a light on a specific issue is through the formation of congressional caucuses. Reps. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) have done exactly that in creating the bipartisan Congressional Road Safety Caucus this year. One of the first steps came on April 14, when Reps. Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.) and Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) introduced the High Risk Rural Roads Safety Grant Program Act in the House. The Act would create a new competitive grant program for local jurisdictions and tribal nations to focus federal funding on rural and tribal road safety projects. Funded at $600 million annually, this proposal would give a needed boost to targeting safety challenges on these rural and tribal roadways. Other roadway safety proposals are also being considered on Capitol Hill. Read more
CAT Coalition working group shares research on AV issues, primer plans CAT Coalition working group shares research on AV issues, primer plans Participants share impacts of AVs on highway infrastructure and report on U.S. readiness Pam / Thursday, April 15, 2021 0 5230 Article rating: No rating Members of the Cooperative Automated Transportation Coalition Infrastructure-Industry (CAT I-I) Working Group shared recently that they are assembling a primer with acronyms and definitions for autonomous vehicle (AV) and connected vehicle (CV) infrastructure and technology. The primer is not the first of its kind but intended to “bridge the gap” between Infrastructure Owner-Operators (IOOs) and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) practitioners, according to the CAT I-I working group members. The working group's recent meeting also included presentations by Ted Hamer, managing director at KPMG Corporate Finance, and Paul Carlson, chief technology officer at Road Infrastructure Inc. Read more
ATSSA endorses rural road safety legislation introduced in the House ATSSA endorses rural road safety legislation introduced in the House Pam / Wednesday, April 14, 2021 0 5226 Article rating: 5.0 Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) introduced H.R. 2481, the High Risk Rural Roads Safety Grant Program Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bipartisan proposal, which is strongly supported by ATSSA, would direct federal roadway safety infrastructure funds to locally owned rural roads. The fatality rate on rural roads is two times greater than on non-rural roads, according to U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) statistics. Additionally, local governments generally do not have the resources needed to make critical, lifesaving roadway safety infrastructure investments. H.R. 2481 would create a $600 million competitive grant program that local governments could apply for, with the federal grant being funded at 100%. A specific $100 million set-aside is also included for tribal road safety. In addition to ATSSA, the American Highway Users Alliance, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), National Association of Counties (NACo), National Association of County Engineers (NACE) and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) endorsed the legislation. Read more
Biden proposes $2 trillion infrastructure plan Biden proposes $2 trillion infrastructure plan Pam / Wednesday, March 31, 2021 0 4118 Article rating: 1.0 President Joe Biden today released a proposal to spend $2 trillion on infrastructure projects over an 8-year period. Dubbed the American Jobs Plan, the broadly defined infrastructure concept is separated into four components: Transportation infrastructure and roadway safety, “How We Live” infrastructure, “Care” infrastructure, and Innovation infrastructure. "ATSSA applauds President Biden, Secretary [Pete] Buttigieg and the administration on ensuring that roadway safety is front and center in the American Jobs Plan,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said. “Between increasing funding for roadway safety projects, a focus on pedestrian and bicyclist safety, encouraging and funding vision zero programs, and noting the emotional toll that roadway fatalities and serious injuries have on American families, this proposal will put us on a path of reducing fatalities toward zero in the decades to come. ATSSA looks forward to working with the Biden administration and Congress to make zero fatalities a reality through investments in roadway safety infrastructure.” Read more
Election Watch: ATSSA’s Government Relations Team is monitoring election results Election Watch: ATSSA’s Government Relations Team is monitoring election results Their eyes are on key races impacting transportation and infrastructure Pam / Tuesday, November 3, 2020 0 3396 Article rating: No rating ATSSA’s Government Relations Team is monitoring the 2020 election results and will be reporting on key races important to transportation and infrastructure when they are available. As we all know, this is an election like no other and the timing of the results is unpredictable but know that our team is on it. Once results are clear, we’ll post them here along with GR Team analysis and insights. Read more
ATSSA’s Government Relations Team reaching out to political leaders during Democratic and Republican national conventions ATSSA’s Government Relations Team reaching out to political leaders during Democratic and Republican national conventions Team is making key contacts during this week's Democratic and next week's GOP convention Pam / Monday, August 17, 2020 0 3288 Article rating: No rating 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. Read more
29Jun2022 ATSSA’s president will be interviewed Friday on Road Dog News Wednesday, June 29, 2022 Read more
29Jun2022 TRIP report analyzes causes of traffic fatality spike and solutions Wednesday, June 29, 2022 Read more