NEC Urges House Delegation to Support Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill
On June 17, The New England Council sent a letter to all twenty-one members of the New England Congressional delegation urging them to support the BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870). This bipartisan five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill represents a meaningful, long-term investment in the nation’s surface transportation system and offers a practical framework to strengthen the infrastructure upon which Americans rely every day.
Last month, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed this legislation by a vote of 62 to 2 to provide continued funding for the programs and policies that fund our nation’s roads, bridges, transit, rail, and transportation safety. The bill will provide hundreds of millions of dollars to support these vital means of transportation and support thousands of well-paying construction jobs across our six states.
For New England, reliable transportation infrastructure is essential to economic competitiveness, public safety, and quality of life – particularly when our older infrastructure is taken into account. We believe that this continuity of funding will help ensure that the needs of our region’s residents, visitors, and employers will be able to be met for years to come.
The next step for the BUILD America 250 Act is consideration on the floor of the House of Representatives. The Senate will need to take-up this bill or similar legislation as well. Timing is important for both – the current law expires on September 30th – however we are optimistic that Congress will act.
For more information on this issue, or the Council’s Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, please contact Peter Phipps.