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AED Alert: Senate EPW Committee Leaders Unveil Five-Year Highway Bill

On July 29, the Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee’s leadership released a five-year, bipartisan highway reauthorization bill. The America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act authorizes $287 billion over five years, including $259 billion to maintain and repair America’s roads and bridges. The investment levels represent an increase of over 27 percent from the FAST Act, the current highway bill that expires on Sept. 30, 2020. The proposal was introduced by EPW Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and EPW Committee Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-Del.) along with Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

“AED commends the Environment & Public Works Committee’s leadership for working in a bipartisan manner to provide a framework for essential investments in our nation’s surface transportation infrastructure,” said AED’s President & CEO Brian P. McGuire. “The America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act is a great step to modernizing the United States’ decaying roads and bridges while creating sustained economic growth and job creation, improving our nation’s safety and security, and enhancing quality of life for all Americans. Construction equipment dealers are eager to provide the machinery to rebuild the country and AED urges support for the legislation.”

The EPW Committee is scheduled to consider the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act on July 30. If approved, it will go to the Senate floor. However, other committees of jurisdiction must still consider components that will be combined to form a final surface transportation reauthorization package before full Senate action, including the Senate Finance Committee, which must identify the revenue to fund the proposed investment levels.

In addition to road and bridge funding, the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act also codifies key pieces of the administration’s “One Federal Decision” policy to streamline project delivery.

The text of the legislation is available here.

A summary of the legislation is accessible here.

A section-by-section analysis of the legislation is available to read here.

For questions or comments, please contact AED’s Vice President of Government Affairs Daniel B. Fisher at dfisher@aednet.org or 202-897-8799.