Transportation

WASHINGTON—Today Rep. John Lewis, a central supporter of the Multimodal Passenger Terminal, celebrated its inclusion in the President Obama’s We Can’t Wait initiative which helps to fast-track important infrastructure projects in American cities through Washington red tape.  The Administration’s intervention can speed a project’s completion by as much as a year by shortening the Federal review and permitting processes.  

                For decades, advocates have been fighting to mandate safety protections in buses, similar to those required in cars.  Finally seven years after Rep. John Lewis introduced the legislation requiring safety protections in motorcoaches, his efforts and that of safety advocates have finally come to fruition.  The Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act (MESA) H.R. 873  sponsored by Rep. John Lewis passed both the House and the Senate as part of the Surface Transportation Bill and is scheduled to be signed into law some time this week by President Obama.

WASHINGTON--Rep. John Lewis testified today before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade on “Motor Vehicle Safety Provisions in House and Senate Highway Bills.”  He advocated for his Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act which was launched by a frustrated phone call from a Grady Memorial Hospital surgeon named Dr.

ATLANTA – Today Federal Aviation Administration Acting Administrator Michael Huerta,visited Atlanta to announce an air traffic control tower modernization project at Hartfield-Jackson Airport called Next Generation Transportation.  Within the NextGen program there is a satellite navigation system initiative called Metroplex which will the FAA believes will improve the flow in and out of all the airports in the Atlanta/Charlotte region by subjecting it to a traffic analysis which will allow officials to determine how to streamline and improve procedures over the two cities.

ATLANTA – On Monday Rep. February 27 Rep. John Lewis hosted his annual Legislative Luncheon at the Georgia Depot.  Every year Lewis brings members of the Georgia State House and Senate together with city officials and local legislators to discuss issues facing the Fifth Congressional district.  Legislators share concerns, ideas, build alliances, and develop collaborative strategies to help address the district’s problems.

“President Barack Obama presented an inspiring vision of the future to the Congress and the American people tonight. An America built to last should certainly be the hope of every member of Congress and every citizen of this nation.