U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is praising new stimulus legislation designed to provide relief for the COVID-19 pandemic for including multiple transportation and infrastructure initiatives.
DeFazio, chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said the legislation passed by the House on Friday included provisions recommended by the committee, including those to strengthen working conditions for those in the transportation sector, including the requirements to wear masks for workers and passengers on commercial U.S. flights, Amtrak trains, and some public transit; adjusting the federal government’s cost share for Stafford Act assistance to 100 percent; providing financial support to low-income consumers to pay for drinking water and wastewater expenses; and funding for FAA operations, public transit agencies, and state and local transportation agencies.
“As this unprecedented health and economic crisis continues to wreak havoc on workers, families, and communities across our country, Congress must continue to step up with big, bold measures to blunt the worst of its effects. As Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I’m especially focused on making sure the Federal government helps protect frontline transportation workers and those who still must travel with clear and consistent policies on personal protective equipment that will help stop the spread of this insidious virus,” DeFazio said. “Additionally, this legislation makes sure families financially impacted by COVID-19 will not have to forgo access to running water because they cannot pay their utility bills, and it increases the federal cost share for emergency declarations under FEMA to 100 percent federal, so state and local governments aren’t saddled with extra bills coming due as their own budgets get hammered by this crisis. These are just a few of the many steps we must take to keep our country afloat during this crisis, and I will continue working to make sure we can prepare for and mitigate against what is to come.”
“The Heroes Act” provides $75 million for additional janitorial services at air traffic control towers and other FAA facilities; hazard pay and overtime pay to prevent, prepare for and respond to the coronavirus. Additionally, the bill provides $15.75 billion in grants to maintain basic transit services. An additional $15 billion in grants would go to state, tribal, and territorial departments of transportation, as well as to several local governments.
The bill would also provide $1.5 billion in grants to keep water and wastewater treatment systems operating. The bill would also create a fund that would allow states, U.S. territories, and tribes to help residents pay water bills and wastewater treatment costs.
Finally, the bill would include provisions that would impact federally-leased buildings and their tenants. The bill would require the General Services Administration to take action in preventing airborne transmission of COVID-19 in any facility owned or leased by the GSA. Additionally, it would protect any tenant in a GSA-owned building from eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic.