U.S. Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO), Rodney Davis (R-IL) and other Republicans on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced a sweeping, long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill that provides more than $400 billion over five years for the federal highway, transit, and motor carrier and highway safety programs.
Rep. Graves on May 19 sponsored the Surface Transportation Advanced through Reform, Technology, and Efficient Review (STARTER) Act 2.0, H.R. 3341, with 22 GOP cosponsors, including Rep. Davis as lead cosponsor and U.S. Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA), Mike Bost (R-IL), Troy Balderson (R-OH), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), and Nancy Mace (R-SC).
“The STARTER Act 2.0 puts forward our Republican principles; provides historic levels of funding for our roads, bridges, and other surface transportation infrastructure; and ensures that we invest those funds wisely and efficiently,” said House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Graves.
“It’s time that this important reform be considered as Congress and the White House continue infrastructure talks,” added Rep. Davis, ranking member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Highways and Transit Subcommittee.
If enacted, H.R. 3341 would prioritize programs addressing core infrastructure functions by improving highways and bridges, facilitating commerce, and focusing on safety and efficiency, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers
“I strongly believe that the path to improving America’s infrastructure is through partnership, not partisanship,” Rep. Graves said. “Republicans want to work together on bipartisan infrastructure solutions, but in order to reach that goal, key principles must be addressed in this process.”
Toward that goal, Rep. Graves said that H.R. 3341 “focuses on the core infrastructure that helps move people and goods through our communities every single day, cuts red tape that holds up project construction, and gets resources into the hands of our states and locals with as few strings attached as possible.”
The legislation would streamline project delivery, invest in small and rural communities — where 71 percent of public road mileage runs — and give states more decision-making authority to meet their own infrastructure needs, according to the summary.
Rep. Davis noted that streamlining the federal permitting and environmental review process must be part of an infrastructure package. “That’s why the One Federal Decision Act is a key part of our House Republican infrastructure proposal,” he said. “Cutting red tape that delays infrastructure project delivery will save taxpayer dollars and complete projects more quickly, while still protecting the environment.”
At the same time, said Rep. Davis, reform of the permitting and environmental review process “has received bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate and endorsements from business and labor groups and trade associations.”
Among numerous other provisions, H.R. 3341 also would sustain the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) recognizing that continued reliance on fuel taxes is not a long-term solution to HTF solvency, the summary says, and would support building more resilient infrastructure.