Fischer sponsors bill to ensure transportation resources in underserved areas

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) on June 9 introduced bipartisan legislation to better ensure that rural communities and federally recognized tribes receive federal transportation resources that can strengthen their economies and provide them access to new markets.

Sen. Fischer sponsored the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Act, S. 1985, with original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) to codify the ROUTES Initiative at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), according to the text of the bill.

The ROUTES Initiative, first implemented by the DOT in 2019, would require the department to take steps to better understand rural and tribal transportation infrastructure needs and would support rural and tribal communities by ensuring they can receive technical assistance to meet their transportation infrastructure investment needs, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Fischer’s staff.

“Rural and tribal areas in Nebraska and states across the country have critical infrastructure needs, but accessing the necessary resources for these projects can be difficult,” said Sen. Fischer. “The ROUTES Act is commonsense, bipartisan legislation which will help ensure rural transportation projects are competitive when applying for the resources they need, benefiting families, communities and businesses.”

The Heartland Expressway Association and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials support S. 1985, which has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate  Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

The Senate bill is the companion bill to the same-named H.R. 2595, which U.S. Reps. Greg Pence (R-IN) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) introduced on April 15 in their chamber, where the measure remains under consideration in the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.