Long-Term Highway Bill Passes House

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Sam Graves, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, issued the following statement after the House today passed the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act. The bipartisan, six-year Highway Bill cleared the House by a vote of 371-54.

"Properly investing in and modernizing this country's transportation infrastructure should be a top priority of the federal government," Rep. Graves said. "But for the past decade, states have been forced to operate off of one short-term Highway extension after another, making their job nearly impossible."

"A long-term Highway Bill is essential to all of those responsible for maintaining America's roads and bridges," Rep. Graves continued. "In Missouri, we have over 35,000 highway miles and 10,000 roadway bridges that need to be repaired, rebuilt or altogether replaced. Each state deserves the certainty to plan these projects with confidence, and this bipartisan bill will give them just that."

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 will reauthorize federal highway programs for six years. Specifically, the bill targets duplicative regulatory processes, streamlines environmental reviews for highway projects, and maintains that 15% of a state's federal highway funding must be used on the maintenance and restoration of rural bridges.

The long-term Highway Bill also gives states the flexibility to focus on the safety needs unique to each community, allowing them to take advantage of new technologies that will reduce accidents and roadway fatalities. And by requiring the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to review regulations every five years to ensure they are current, consistent, and relevant, we can preserve policies that save lives and abandon those that do not.

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