{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://costello.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-bipartisan-long-term-federal-highway-bill", "House Passes Bipartisan Long-Term Federal Highway Bill", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Ryan Costello", "C001106", "costello.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Costello initiative included in historic surface transportation legislation.\n\nWashington, DC  Today, the House of Representatives approved the conference report to accompany H.R. 22, the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, by a vote of 359-65. The FAST Act is five-year, fully paid-for legislation that upgrades our surface transportation infrastructure, enhances roadway safety, and increases federal funding for Pennsylvanias roads and bridges by approximately $770 million over the next five years. \nFollowing passage of the FAST Act, Congressman Ryan Costello (PA-06), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, praised this bipartisan effort: As my constituents prepare for another season of winter travel conditions, the FAST Act will offer much-needed certainty and empower state governments and local planners to commit to those projects so that we can continue and increase the process of upgrading our roads, bridges, and highways. Every facet of our surface transportation infrastructure in Pennsylvania stands to benefit from passage of this legislation - from our passenger rail lines that feed off of the Northeast Corridor, to our highways, to our bridges.\nIncluded in the final bill was the Costello Amendment, which expands eligibility for funding for smaller bridge projects and railway-highway grade-crossing projects in the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects grant program. In 2014 alone, Pennsylvania had 71 vehicle collisions at grade crossings, resulting in 7 deaths and 25 injuries.The Costello Amendment is a simple solution to help improve the safety at these intersections  without costing Pennsylvania taxpayers a single dollar.\nCostello added, By including my amendment in the FAST Act, we are improving the safety of Pennsylvanias roadways and providing available funding to improve the states grade crossings and bridges. The passage of the FAST Act is a major accomplishment for this Congress. It is proof that we have worked in a bipartisan manner to achieve a long-term, commonsense solution that will improve safety and ease congestion for our constituents in all corners of the country. I encourage the Senate to pass it and the President to sign it without delay.\nThe FAST Act is the result of the Conference Committee report between the House and Senate that included language from the House passed Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform (STRR) Act and legislation passed by the U.S. Senate earlier this year.This would mark the first long-term highway bill to be advanced to the Presidents desk for signature in a decade.\nSeveral measures included in the FAST Act will ensure our transportation networks are strengthened to help families and goods move safely and efficiently throughout the country. Key provisions include:\nRoads and Bridges\n Streamlines at least six offices in the Department of Transportation and establishes a National Surface Transportation and Innovative Finance Bureau to improve coordination and project distribution between local, state, and private sector.\n\tEncourages private investment into transportation and infrastructure projects.\n\tPromotes the deployment of transportation technologies and congestion management tools.\n Public Transportation\n Increases dedicated bus funding by 89% over 5 years.\n\tProvides both stable formula funding and a competitive grant program to address the needs of busses and bus facilities.\n Highway and Motor Vehicle Safety\n Focuses funding on roadway safety.\n\tIncreases percentage of National Priority Safety Program states can spend on traditional safety programs.\n\tIncreases funding for highway-railway grade crossings.\n Truck and Bus Safety\n Streamlines truck and bus safety grant programs and gives states the flexibility needed to spend the resources on safety priorities.\n Hazardous Materials\n Puts the decision making with the states to determine how to spend funds aimed at first responder training and planning.\n\tRequires Class I railroads to report crude oil movement to emergency responders.\n Railroads \n Strengthens the Northeast Corridor planning to make states equal partners.\n\tReorganizes the way Amtrak operates into business lines, to ensure Northeast Corridor (NEC) profits get reinvested in the corridor.\n The FAST Act is the first long-term highway bill to pass the House in a decade. The current Surface Transportation bill, enacted in 2012, expired in 2014 and has been extended through a series of short-term extensions.\nMore information on the FAST Act here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://costello.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-bipartisan-long-term-federal-highway-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8038037922233343, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}