House Passes Fix to Highway Trust Fund

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in voting to pass a bill in the House that will help keep American workers on the job building the nation’s transportation network.  

“This is about far more than accounting, dollar signs, and trust funds.  It’s about the men and women who work in these industries and have to face needless uncertainty about their futures.  It’s about those that rely on public transit systems.  And it’s about the driving public who must endure aging infrastructure and the car repair bills and safety concerns that come with it.  I voted for this bill not because it’s the best solution, but because it averts an immediate crisis and keeps the ball rolling,” said Rahall.

The bill that passed today, the “Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014” (H.R. 5021), replenishes the Highway Trust Fund and extends current surface transportation law through May 2015.  Passage of H.R. 5021 will get States through the remainder of the construction season while allowing Congress time to pass a longer-term surface transportation law.  Rahall has long argued that a robust, long-term surface transportation bill is the only way to truly address the nation’s infrastructure challenges.  

“A long-term bill is one of the few surefire ways to boost our economy, create jobs, and help us compete with our global rivals,” said Rahall on the House floor today.  “We need greater investment in our roads and bridges.  We need an increased focus on moving freight across borders and overseas.  We should grow regional collaborations to build significant projects.  And we must bring every possible transportation job back to the U.S. to be done by American workers.”

H.R. 5021 passed the House by a vote of 367-55.  A similar measure has been approved by a Senate committee, but it has not been voted on in the full Senate.