(Nov. 5, 2015) U.S. Representative Richard Hanna recently voted in favor of a six-year highway bill, which passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming support.
Following three days of debate, during which more than 100 amendments were considered, the House approved a bipartisan, multi-year surface transportation bill to reauthorize and reform federal highway, transit, and highway safety programs.
The Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 (the STRR Act) helps improve the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure, refocuses programs on addressing national priorities, provides more flexibility and certainty for states and local governments, accelerates project delivery, maintains a strong commitment to safety, and promotes innovation to make the transportation system and programs more effective.
“This bill gives our states and local municipalities the ability to plan to make important maintenance repairs and upgrades to our roads, bridges, highways and infrastructure,” Hanna said. “If we’re not planning for the future then we have no future. I was pleased to support this bill and include four amendments. I look forward to seeing this bill signed into law.”
| “Today the House voted to give our infrastructure and our economy a much needed shot in the arm,”Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) said. “The STRR Act provides strong reforms and policies to help us improve America’s transportation system, and now we can get to work on resolving the differences with the Senate bill and carry a final measure over the goal line.”
Rep. Hanna included four amendments in the bill. HANNA AMENDMENTS · State Infrastructure Banks: In 2005, Congress established a State Infrastructure Bank program which authorized states to use up to 10 percent of a state’s existing federal transportation dollars to establish an infrastructure bank for the purpose of financing local road or transit projects. State infrastructure banks pool public and private resources to finance these projects and stretch our limited federal resources to maximize investments. Unfortunately, the program expired in 2009 and was inadvertently omitted from reauthorization in the most recent highway bill, MAP-21, thus denying states the ability to use federal dollars to help capitalize their infrastructure banks. Rep. Hanna’s amendment today brings back this financing mechanism. · Milk Hauling Weights: Rep. Hanna’s amendment allows states to issue special permits so that milk is shipped as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Hauling milk is a unique process as the product is extremely perishable. Due to the supply of milk coming from farms, and the daily intake needs of processing plants, hauling this product can fluctuate unpredictably. As a result, milk handling requirements sometimes conflict with limits on truck weights. This is especially problematic for New York farmers who can’t fully load their tankers due to drastically lower weight restrictions in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. To solve this problem, Rep. Hanna’s amendment gives states the option to issue permits allowing milk haulers to match New York’s higher weight standards. The permits would still need to comply with each state’s trucking laws. · Young Commercial Drivers: Rep. Hanna’s amendment creates a graduated commercial drivers licensing program that would allow a licensed commercial driver between the ages of 19 ½ and 21 to operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. This is especially important in the trucking and hauling industry and in areas like Binghamton, N.Y., which is in the Southern Tier of New York state and on the border of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. While these younger commercially licensed drivers are allowed to drive within the state as far as 491 miles from Buffalo to Long Island, they are prohibited from driving 15 miles from Binghamton to Pennsylvania. Young drivers who are qualified to operate commercial vehicles, and have obtained a commercial driver’s license and passed all qualifying exams are already operating long distances within our state borders. There’s no reason why they should not be able to drive less than 20 miles across state lines. This amendment allows for a pilot program to study the safety and efficiency of a change to this law. · Private Sector Engineering: Rep. Hanna’s amendment expresses a Sense of Congress recognizing the value of private sector engineering services in delivering road, bridge, and public transportation projects. Just as states use private contractors to build roads and bridges, they also utilize private engineering companies to design them. While many DOTs partner well with private engineering firms, some states do not take advantage of the services and expertise available, essentially shutting-out these firms from competing for federally funded projects. This Hanna amendment makes it clear that collaboration between public and private engineers is essential to delivering the highest quality and most cost-effective projects, and that each state should strive to strike the most appropriate balance relative to each states’ unique circumstances. The bill was approved by a vote of 363 to 64.
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Sir, it is about time the bill was offered and passed. My question is what happened to the Dedicated Highway and infrastructure fund that was passed and built a few years ago.?? Where did it go, to the war fund ?? The same thing has happened to the Social Security fund. There should be no problem with that if Congress hadn’t loopholed it to other uses.
Yours truly, wishong for honorable government.