releases: http://rodneydavis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398876
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://rodneydavis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398876 | Davis Applauds Passage of Five-Year Highway Bill | 2015-12-03 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Republican | House | IL | Rodney Davis | D000619 | rodneydavis.house.gov | legacy | Washington, DC U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, today released the following statement after the House overwhelmingly passed a five-year highway bill by a vote of 359-65. The conference report for H.R. 22, the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015, authorizes and funds surface transportation programs for five years. This is the first long-term surface transportation bill in nearly a decade. I ran for Congress on the promise of governing and passing a long-term highway bill to fix our roads and bridges, said Davis. Today I was proud to vote for a bipartisan bill that makes critical policy changes and provides five years of certainty for Illinois and our local governments. I want to thank Chairman Shuster for his leadership and the work of my all of my colleagues to move this important legislation forward. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to provide for our nations roads and bridges. We must continue to build on this weeks success and use this time to find innovative funding solutions that will support a 21st Century transportation system. Davis spoke in support of this bill during debate on the House floor today. Click here to download and view his speech. The Senate is expected to pass H.R. 22 and the president is expected to sign it this week. Under the FAST Act, Illinois will receive roughly $7.5 billion ($1.5 billion per year) in federal highway funding, a $668 million or 2.8 percent increase from the MAP-21 average annual formula apportionment. For transit, Illinois share is $3 billion over five years ($600 million per year), the states highest level since 2006. Additionally, this bill provides more local control by increasing the share of Surface Transportation Program (STP) funding that is suballocated to metropolitan areas by 1 percent per year, starting at 51 percent in FY16 and going up to 55 percent by 2020. Meaning local governments in Illinois will collectively see a $25 million increase of suballocated funds over the life of the bill. While this bill takes modest steps toward increasing local control of transportation funds, I believe there is still room for improvement, said Davis. I will continue to fight to give our communities, and particularly smaller communities, a greater voice in how transportation dollars are spent. Davis has spearheaded reforms that increase local control of transportation funds provided to states with his bill the Innovation in Surface Transportation Act. The final bill includes several amendments authored by Davis including: Language to provide important relief to independent welders working in the pipeline industry who use their personal vehicle on the job. Clarifying existing law as it relates to the type of freight auto-haulers can carry on backhaul trips after they deliver their vehicles to car dealerships. Provisions encouraging states to use new assessment tools to identify mental health issues, substance abuse issues, and recidivism risks that will help identify underlying causes for repeat DUI behavior. Additional highlights of the bill include: Streamlines the environmental review and permitting process, accelerating project delivery. Establishes a National Surface Transportation and Innovative Finance Bureau intended to provide assistance to state, local and private partners as they move various transportation projects forward. Creates a Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects Program to help improve the movement of goods across the country. Promotes the deployment of transportation technologies that will enhance the surface transportation system by reducing congestion and increasing efficiency. Additionally, this bill includes the House passed passenger rail bill among other things, specifically, this bill reauthorizes grant programs that can be used to relocate passenger and freight rail lines. Click here for more information about H.R. 749, the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |