House Transportation Leader DeFazio Offers Infrastructure Legislation Road Map
Transport Topics
Eugene Mulero | Staff Reporter
February 27, 2019 5:00 PM, EST
WASHINGTON — Facing pressure during a high-profile conference with leaders from most state departments of transportation, the top transportation policymaker in the U.S. House said lawmakers are considering a two-pronged approach to getting infrastructure policy moving.
Speaking to reporters at a conference hosted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials on Feb. 27, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) explained that his committee would most likely tackle infrastructure policy via two paths. The first would be to reauthorize the 2015 FAST Act highway law prior to its expiration in the fall of 2020. The second would be crafting and advancing a long-term infrastructure funding bill separate from the FAST Act’s reauthorization.
“As I understand it, and I’m not in charge, there’s an expectation there’ll be two bills,” said DeFazio, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure panel. “There is some inclination, on the part of my leadership, to move an infrastructure package much earlier this year, which hopefully would include substantial funding for surface transportation, out of the Ways and Means Committee.” FULL ARTICLE
Posted on Wed, February 27, 2019
by John Cox