Washington, DC - Today, the House of Representatives passed eight bills that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved on a bipartisan basis earlier this year.
“I applaud the House for passing eight bills today that were approved by our committee on a bipartisan basis,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR). “In particular, I’m pleased to see the House pass my bill to name the U.S. Department of Transportation’s headquarters in Washington, DC, after Secretary Norm Mineta—the longest serving Transportation Secretary and a former chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I urge the Senate to take up these bipartisan bills and pass them without delay.”
“The House passed some good bipartisan bills today, including my E-BRIDGE Act that cuts red tape to enable communities to use existing EDA funds for broadband and last mile internet infrastructure projects. In addition, Rep. Guest’s bill will save taxpayer dollars when negotiating federal leases, and Rep. Katko’s bill will reduce delays in getting disaster assistance to survivors,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO).
Legislation passed today includes:
H.R. 4679, to designate the Federal building located at 1200 New Jersey Ave Southeast in Washington, DC, as the “Norman Yoshio Mineta Federal Building”
On July 26, 2021, Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) introduced legislation to designate the federal building located at 1200 New Jersey Ave Southeast in Washington, DC, as the “Norman Yoshio Mineta Federal Building.” Secretary Mineta was the longest serving Secretary of Transportation and has been a true trailblazer throughout his career. As the child of immigrants whose family suffered the grave injustice of being sent to an internment camp during World War II, he went on to a long life of public service. He was elected as Mayor of San Jose, California, spent 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives including two years as Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and served on the presidential cabinet of two presidents from different political parties—Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
H.R. 3193, E-BRIDGE Act
H.R. 3193, the Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act, introduced by Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (P.L. 89−136) to remove hurdles for broadband projects under Economic Development Administration grants, including difficult last-mile efforts that often delay rural broadband deployment. The bill also ensures that local communities can partner with the private sector in carrying out broadband projects and gives communities more flexibility in complying with their funding match requirements.
H.R. 1339, Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act
On February 25, 2021, Committee Vice Chair Sharice Davids (D-KS) introduced H.R. 1339, the “Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act.” Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-LA) is an original cosponsor of the bill. H.R. 1339 would establish an advanced air mobility (AAM) interagency working group at the U.S. Department of Transportation, comprised of federal departments and agencies, the public sector, civil aviation industry leaders, labor unions, and other relevant stakeholders to evaluate, plan, and coordinate efforts to help advance U.S. leadership in the emerging AAM industry.
H.R. 390, to redesignate the Federal building located at 167 North Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee as the "Odell Horton Federal Building"
H.R. 390, introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) designates the federal building at 167 North Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee (currently known as the Clifford Davis - Odell Horton Federal Building) as the Odell Horton Federal Building. The bill is cosponsored by the entire Tennessee Congressional delegation, including Reps. Tim Burchett, Jim Cooper, Scott DesJarlais, Chuck Fleischmann, Mark Green, Diana Harshbarger, David Kustoff, and John Rose.
H.R. 4660, to designate the Federal Building and United States Courthouse located at 1125 Chapline Street in Wheeling, WV, as the “Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse”
H.R. 4460, introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) on July 22, 2021, designates the federal building and United States Courthouse located at 1125 Chapline Street in Wheeling, West Virginia, as the "Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse."
H.R. 2220, to amend title 40, United States Code, to modify the treatment of certain bargain-price options to purchase at less than fair market value, and for other purposes
On March 26, 2021, Reps. Michael Guest (R-MS), Daniel Webster (R-FL), and Greg Pence (R-IN) introduced H.R. 2220, “To amend title 40, United States Code, to modify the treatment of certain bargain-price options to purchase at less than fair market value, and for other purposes.” H.R. 2220 would allow GSA to exercise a bargain price purchase in a lease at a pre-negotiated discounted rate so long as GSA secures an appropriation to do so.
H.R. 3709, Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act of 2021
H.R. 3709, introduced by Rep. John Katko (R-NY), directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) teams with an expertise in working with state, tribal, and territorial partners, as well as to report to Congress on the PDA process.
H.R. 1917, Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects Act
H.R. 1917, introduced by Reps. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) and Michael McCaul (R-TX), will expedite the start of certain types of projects following presidentially declared disasters while waiting for FEMA’s full approval. It is intended to allow simple land acquisition and simple construction projects not requiring an environmental review to begin immediately without risk of losing federal matching dollars.
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