REP. HOYLE TOUTS WINS IN THE BUILD AMERICA 250 ACT IN TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

REP. HOYLE TOUTS WINS IN THE BUILD AMERICA 250 ACT IN TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Last week, Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) voted for the Build America 250 Act in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill that builds on the historic investments of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The bill included four amendments offered by Rep. Hoyle and dozens of other priorities she fought for more than a year.

The $580 billion bill will help address bottlenecks on freight-related needs, bring home billions to make our roads and bridges safer, increase local-control of transportation funding, build up the transportation workforce and harden our infrastructure to the impacts of climate change.

"The bipartisan Build America 250 Act will boost Oregon's economy and create more jobs by investing in highways and rail, upgrading transit safety, providing more grant opportunities to local governments and improving worker protections," said Rep. Hoyle. "Roads, bridges, infrastructure and worker safety should not be a partisan issue and although this bill does not include every priority, it is a product of the bipartisan nature of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee."

Wins Championed By Rep. Hoyle:

• Increases funding for programs that address Oregon and other Western states' unique transportation challenges, including the Federal Lands Transportation Program, Federal Lands Access Program, Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program and Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program.
• Protects critical competitive programs that help finance large-scale state or local transportation projects, including the MEGA, INFRA, BUILD, Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program and Capital Investment Grant Program.
• Provides more dedicated annual funding to the state, municipalities and transit agencies.
• Makes our roads, bridges and public lands more resilient by maintaining programs that reduce risks from wildfires, earthquakes and other hazards.
• Helps Tribal communities access federal infrastructure funding by reducing local match requirements and simplifying application processes.
• Includes comprehensive rail safety legislation.
• Rejected all attempts to weaken labor standards.
• Codifies the FTA's Transit Workforce Development Center, which helps train public transit workers.
• Creates a task force to get more Americans into surface transportation careers through pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships.

Rep. Hoyle also offered more than a dozen amendments to the bill to better support rural, Tribal and Western communities, strengthen multimodal freight planning and project delivery and protect and invest in good-paying transportation jobs. Four were included in the bill, including language to expand financing for corridor-based bus rapid transit projects, like EmX, direct the Multimodal Freight Office to better support significant regional freight projects, streamline the process for applying for and receiving freight infrastructure grants and require the FTA to improve technical assistance so rural and Tribal communities can better access federal transit funding.

Fighting for Improvements:

• Voted against and working to remove language that would make it harder to sue ride-share companies when drivers commit sexual assault or drive recklessly.
• Working to strengthen protections for workers
• Ensuring all drivers pay for the roads they use without disproportionately burdening drivers of electric vehicles.

Background

The Build America 250 Act passed through the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by a vote of 62-2. The full House of Representatives and Senate need to consider the bill before it can become law.

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