House Highway Bill on Panel’s Radar, Chairman Graves Says
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WASHINGTON — Modernizing the country’s network of highways is atop the legislative priorities for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the panel’s chairman said.
This month, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) kicked off the committee’s agenda for the current session of Congress. Chairman Graves pointed to the need to reauthorize federal highway policies as well as implement President Donald Trump’s agenda specific to supply chain and infrastructure.
“This will be a collaborative process in which the committee will solicit feedback from both members and stakeholders,” Graves said during a hearing Jan. 15. “We will consider all input, and member priorities will drive what’s in the bill this committee produces.”
Reps. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) will lead the highway policy subcommittee during the panel’s consideration of a comprehensive highway bill. Congress has less than two years to update federal surface transportation programs.
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“The work of our committee and subcommittees will be guided by many knowledgeable and capable individuals with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives,” Graves affirmed in a separate statement on Jan. 22. “We have members with a wide array of experience — members who are truckers, helicopter pilots, farmers, small business owners, former state and local legislators, former law enforcement officials, prosecutors, physicians and more.
“Each of these perspectives,” the chairman noted, “will be important as we tackle the busy work schedule ahead of us, including a critical surface transportation reauthorization bill, and I look forward to working with all of our members.”
Larsen
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), the committee’s ranking member, shares Graves’ focus on bipartisanship. Most senior Democrats also intend to defend funding programs approved in 2021’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. As Larsen put it, “The [Transportation and Infrastructure] committee must keep the investments of last Congress going to create good-paying jobs and deliver safer, cleaner, greener and more accessible transportation to communities across America.”
For Norton, Congress’ new highway bill must prioritize safety. She highlighted recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to explain her viewpoint: “Make no mistake — we are living through a public health crisis. Over 40,000 people died on our roadways in 2023. Remarkably, this number represents a 5% improvement from where we were in 2021.”
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“The brunt of these deaths has been borne by pedestrians, cyclists and communities of color. We cannot allow this trend to continue,” said Norton on Jan. 22. “We cannot allow any more families to be devastated.”
In addition to safety, Rouzer emphasized economic competitiveness. “This infrastructure maintains our supply chain through the free-flowing movement of goods across our country,” the subcommittee chairman said. “To ensure goods move efficiently and that we keep costs low for American goods and services, we must continue to invest in our nation’s most vital infrastructure: our highways and bridges.”
Congressional Republican leaders have signaled the likelihood of unveiling draft provisions of the next highway bill later this year.
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