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News from Transportation for America October 23, 2015

HOUSE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MARKS UP MULTI-YEAR BILL By rejecting nearly all amendments, bill ignores the needs of U.S. towns and cities. The key transportation committee in the U.S. House debated and approved a multi-year transportation authorization bill yesterday during a markup in which almost no amendments were openly considered and voted on. With few improvements made to a bill that already fell far short of the kind of transformational, reform-minded policy that our country needs, it’s a disappointing outcome given the shortcomings of the Senate’s own DRIVE Act passed in July. The biggest casualty was a bipartisan amendment that would have directed more federal money to local communities and improved the process for federal funds that are spent within smaller communities. Representatives Davis (R-IL) and Titus (D-NV) had crafted an amendment that had broad bipartisan support on the committee, but they ultimately decided to withdraw it when it became clear that committee leadership was uninterested in open votes on amendments. THE GOOD NEWS There were some encouraging moments, however. The Davis-Titus amendment received strong bipartisan support, with more cosponsors than any other amendment offered and more people speaking in favor during the markup than almost any other of the 160-plus amendments filed. Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) pledged to work on the issue before the bill gets to the floor of the House. Also included in an approved manager’s package of amendments was a proposal to include employers and representatives of low-income job related services in the planning process, and improvement to complete streets language to ensure streets are designed for all users. (See our amendment tracker for the full details on important amendments.)  Along with Reps. Davis and Titus, we will continue working hard to rally support for their critical provision in the bill before it reaches or passes the full House. However, in advance of a floor vote, the House will have to approve funding for the bill which will likely require a separate markup in the Ways and Means Committee. With Congress continuing to avoid a serious discussion on user fee revenues and the current Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) considering a run for House Speaker, Congress will need to approve yet another short-term extension next week to keep federal transportation programs afloat. Read more

Other recent news Announcing a new academy for local leaders who want to dig in on performance measures for transportation In partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), T4America is announcing a new yearlong training academy for metro regions hoping to learn more about (and start using) the emerging practice of performance measurement, and applications are open now. Read More. USDOT proposes to remove restrictive design guidelines that make safer streets more difficult to build The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) proposes to make it dramatically easier for cities and communities of all sizes to design and build complete streets that are safer for everyone by easing federally-mandated design standards on many roads. Read more. Building Resilient States: A Framework for Agencies Read and download Smart Growth America’s latest guide on making states more resilient in the face of natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy.  States could save a lot of time and money by focusing on long-term resilience rather than solely on disaster recovery. Read more. Articles we're talking about Rick Haglund: Michigan policymakers are state's biggest mobility hurdle – MLive  Boston Transit Goals Include Addressing Transportation Inequality – Next City Google’s Cute Cars And The Ugly End Of Driving – Buzzfeed  Is This the Way States Can Sell Tax Hikes for Transportation? – Pew Charitable Trusts From the Director's Desk There’s been no shortage of action in Congress on transportation over the last few months.  The Senate passed a six-year transportation bill in July.  The House just marked up its own version of a six-year bill yesterday.  If you squint hard enough, you just might see progress.  Make no mistake, the fact that Congress is at least trying to do something on transportation is truly significant. We all need to do more to create grassroots support for federal transportation investment, particularly giving members of Congress the support they need to raise the federal gas tax that hasn’t budged since Bill Clinton’s first year in office. But if you’re asking “what for?”, you’re asking the right question. America’s cities need a strong federal partner to invest in their locally-driven ideas for next generation mobility that provides access to opportunity for everyone.  So far, both the House and Senate transportation bills fall far short of that ideal, and we’re going to need your help to make the case that spending taxpayer dollars on the same old 20th century solutions isn’t going to cut it any more. If you’re not already a member of T4A, you need to become one today.  If you’re not already engaged with Congress, you need to get vocal now.  Nothing short of the future of your community, and our country, is at stake. James Corless, director, T4America Looking Back, Looking Ahead The House T&I Committee has now passed the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act, a multi-year bill, but time is tight with the October 29th deadline looming on expiration of the current authorization extension. An extension is expected next week to provide time for the House to conclude their work on the bill, let alone the potential for a House-Senate agreement to take shape. Do you love writing about transportation and maybe spending too much time on Twitter? Then you could be our new Communications Fellow. Apply here. Creative placemaking and the Equity Summit. A handful of T4America staff will be at the Equity Summit in LA next week, and we’ll be pre-releasing our new Creative Placemaking guidebook there. T4A members, you’ll be getting a copy as well. Everyone else, stay tuned for the public release! Want to become a T4A member and get early access to reports like these? Find out more about membership. Rail-Volution in Dallas next week. Communications director Steve Davis will be presenting with a pair of pollsters on the current trends in messaging on transportation, especially as it relates to local communities trying to raise new money or build ambitious new projects. Stop by and say hello!  NACTO conference next week, too.  Policy director Joe McAndrews will be speaking on the future of transportation funding and financing. Lace up those shoes and join Complete Streets Director Emiko Atherton and SGA Director Geoff Anderson at the National Walking Summit October 28-30, a conference that works to increase walking and make our communities safer, attractive and accessible for walking.  Join LOCUS in Dallas at Rail-volution October 27th. LOCUS is Smart Growth America’s coalition of responsible real estate investors. Find more details and register. @T4America tweet of the week LinkedIn is aiming to have just 35% of their workforce drive solo to work at their Silicon Valley HQ http://peninsulatransportation.org/linkedin-plans-for-35-drivealone-rate-in-shoreline-offices-with-paid-parking-for-commuters/ Oct 15, 2015 Follow us on twitter  Did you receive this message from a friend or coworker? Sign up here for news & updates from Transportation for America Transportation for America 1707 L Street NW #250 Washington, DC 20011 t4america.org You received this because the email address  is signed up with T4America. You can unsubscribe here. Any other issues? Email us at info@t4america.org