Foxx sends long-term transportation bill to Congress

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on Monday sent a six-year transportation bill to Congress -- the GROW AMERICA Act -- which provides funding growth and certainty.

“All over the country, I hear the same account: the need to repair and expand our surface transportation system has never been greater, and yet federal transportation funding has never been in such short supply,” Foxx said. “Our proposal provides a level of funding and also funding certainty that our partners need and deserve. This is an opportunity to break away from 10 years of flat funding, not to mention these past six years in which Congress has funded transportation by passing 32 short-term measures.”

The proposed bill reflects President Barack Obama’s visions for a six-year, $478 billion transportation reauthorization bill that invests in updating the United States’ infrastructure.

The GROW AMERICA Act will increase safety across all types of transportation, including almost tripling the budget of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s automobile defects office; create an $18 billion freight program so businesses can contend and grow in a global economy; increase connections so that more Americans have access to jobs and education; enact a clear permitting process to speed up project delivery; increase innovative financing by strengthening the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing loan programs; and provide more funding to high-performing Metropolitan Planning Organizations.