National League of Cities CEO endorses DRIVE Act

Clarence Anthony, CEO of the National League of Cities (NLC), issued a statement after the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday via the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

"Today, we applaud Chairman (Jim) Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member (Barbara) Boxer (D-CA) and members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for introducing the DRIVE Act, a bill that answers the National League of Cities' call for greater certainty that only a long-term transportation bill can provide,” Anthony said.

"The transportation marketplace is rapidly changing, and future generations of Americans deserve better than to inherit transportation infrastructure that preserves the status quo,” Anthony said. “Whether it is the sharing economy or the higher degree of mobility, there is no question that young people are already changing the way Americans think about transportation. And there is no question that local governments are best suited to empower all of their residents in public engagement over how our communities ought to be connected in the future, both in the short and long term.

"For cities and towns, the DRIVE Act is an improvement over the status quo,” Anthony said. “The bill would improve local control of funding under the Surface Transportation Program and the Transportation Alternatives Program. But there is much more that could — and should — be done. The National League of Cities looks forward to continuing our strong partnership with Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Boxer to achieve our goal of enacting a forward-looking, long-term, multi-modal transportation bill."