In advance of surface transportation authorization legislation this spring, leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Subcommittee on Highways and Transit announced ways for Congressmembers to submit requests for highway and transit project designations.
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chair Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said the new submission process would allow Congress members to have more direct engagement on infrastructure projects. Last year, in developing the surface transportation reauthorization bill, the Committee held 14 hearings, considered hundreds of policy submissions, and processed more than 700 amendments. The reauthorization passed through the House in July but stalled in the Republican-led Senate.
“The discretion to fund projects should not be reserved for State or Federal bureaucrats. Elected representatives know the infrastructure needs of their district and should be allowed to identify projects and advocate on behalf of their constituents in legislation,” DeFazio said. “That’s why I’m proud to make this announcement today. With a transparent, efficient process in place to identify district priorities, coupled with good partnership from the Federal government, Congress can help put people to work on badly-needed infrastructure projects and transform the way we build and move.”
The committee encouraged members to work with state and local officials to identify projects that will build a safer transportation network, increase access, strengthen multi-modal transportation systems, reduce carbon emissions, enhance environmental justice, support underserved communities and improve the condition of the nation’s infrastructure.
“Infrastructure projects Members of Congress identify after consultation with local officials often are urgent and need local priority,” Chairwoman Norton said. “We have surrounded our new process with the transparency to assure projects meet Federal and local standards.”
Submissions from members will be required to document whether or not the project is on the State, Tribal, or territorial transportation improvement program, and on the metropolitan transportation improvement program and what sources of funding exist beyond the amount requested from the federal government. Additionally, members will need to provide letters of support for the project from local, state officials; a description of the process for public comment on the project; the status of the environmental review; whether or not the project has received federal funding before; and certification that the member, their spouse, and other immediate family members will not financially benefit from the project.
A member hearing day will be held on April 14, 2021, for members of Congress to testify about their policy priorities.