Washington, D.C. – Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Troy Carter (D-LA) and Val Hoyle (D-OR) released the following statements after the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed 28 bills during today’s markup.
“Today, the T&I Committee advanced several Democratic-led bills that will improve disaster resilience, minimize the impact of future flight delays and cancellations, protect consumers from predatory shipping practices of household goods movement, improve access to FEMA and EPA grants and more,” Ranking Member Larsen said. “The Extreme Weather and Heat Response Modernization Act, led by Rep. Dina Titus, directs FEMA to update guidance to improve its response to extreme weather events. The Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act, led by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, holds scam shipping operators accountable. The Fire Management Assistance Grants for Tribal Governments Act, led by Rep. Sharice Davids, allows federally recognized Tribes to apply directly for FEMA’s Fire Management Assistance Grants. The Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience (POWER) Act, led by Rep. Val Hoyle, makes publicly owned electric utilities eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance mitigation program, which funds repairs to damaged infrastructure. I look forward to these bills, and others, being considered by the full House as T&I Democrats continue to fight for cleaner, greener, safer and more accessible transportation for communities.”
“I am pleased by today’s markup and passage of two of my bills with bipartisan support by the T&I Committee,” Highways and Transit Ranking Member Eleanor Holmes Norton said. “My bill to ensure D.C. is eligible for wastewater grants both as a state and as a municipality is consistent with the overall intent of the grant program and would enable D.C. to develop a comprehensive strategy to improve post-consumer materials management and recycling and implement a specific collection and treatment measures to remove these wastes from the wastewater stream.
Americans moving across state lines need to be able to have confidence in FMCSA-licensed companies transporting their physical belongings, and my bill with Rep. Ezell would provide crucial additional tools for ensuring these residential moving companies are providing trustworthy service."
“Extreme heat events kill more people annually than hurricanes and tornadoes combined, and tragically there have already been 224 heat-related deaths in Las Vegas this year alone,” Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Ranking Member Dina Titus said. “As temperatures continue to rise over longer periods of time, communities need more resources to keep people safe. I am proud to have introduced this legislation which will improve FEMA’s response to extreme heat and add funding eligibility for resiliency centers, cooling facilities and cooling equipment for households.”
“In Louisiana, we’ve seen how storms are increasingly more dangerous and unpredictable,” Rep. Troy Carter said. “My FEMA Workforce Planning Act is a critical step toward ensuring FEMA is better equipped to respond to disasters by creating clear goals for employee recruitment, retention and training. By requiring regular updates and audits, the bill promotes accountability and ensures that FEMA's staffing plans are aligned with the evolving needs of disaster response. This bipartisan legislation is a smart move toward filling gaps in FEMA's workforce, which will help communities receive the support they need in times of crisis.”
“I’m thrilled that my bill, the POWER Act, passed the committee today with the strong support of my Democratic and Republican colleagues. As the threat of severe weather events continues to increase, we should be investing taxpayer dollars into critical infrastructure that can withstand the next disaster instead of building back the same way,” Rep. Val Hoyle said. “My bill gives electric utilities more tools to rebuild for resilience after a disaster, boosting local safety and economies. I’d like to thank Rep. Mike Ezell for his partnership on this bill and I’ll continue working to get it signed into law.”
Below are the Democratic bills that advanced during today’s markup:
H.R. 9024, the Extreme Weather and Heat Response Modernization Act, introduced by Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Ranking Member Dina Titus (D-NV), would direct FEMA to update guidance across programs to improve response to extreme weather events including extreme heat.
H.R. 9541, the Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience (POWER) Act, introduced by Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR) and Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS), would make publicly owned electric utilities eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance mitigation program benefits.
ANS to H.R. 9121, the Fire Management Assistance Grants for Tribal Governments Act, introduced by Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS), would authorize federally recognized tribes to directly request a Fire Management Assistance Grant declaration.
ANS to H.R. 8505, the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act, introduced by Highways and Transit Ranking Member Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS), would clarify the authority of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to issue civil penalties for violations of commercial regulations and consumer protections relating to the shipping of household goods.
H.R. 5623, the Addressing Addiction After Disasters Act, introduced by Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), would add substance use and alcohol use to the list of post disaster mental health services offered by FEMA’s Crisis Counseling Training and Assistance Program.
H.R. 9037, the FEMA Emergency Mobilization Accountability Workforce Planning Act, introduced by Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA), Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), and Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS), would require FEMA to submit a human capital operation plan to Congress every three years, which includes specific retention, recruitment and deployment goals for its workforce.
H.R.8995, the Baby Changing on Board Act, introduced by Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), would require Amtrak to install baby changing tables in all accessible bathrooms on passenger rail cars purchased after the bill’s enactment.
ANS to H.R. 1720, the Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II, introduced by Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), would provide clarity that the City of San Diego can utilize the standard Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit renewal process and does not need a waiver application to continue operating the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant with alternative standards.
ANS to H.R. 9135, the Ensuring Airline Resiliency to Reduce Delays and Cancellations Act, introduced by Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), would require the Secretary of Transportation to ensure airlines develop and regularly update an operational resiliency strategy to prevent or limit the impact of future flight disruptions on passengers.
ANS to H.R. 4043, the Save our Seas 2.0 Adjustment for D.C., introduced by Highways and Transit Ranking Member Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), would clarify the eligibility of certain entities to receive grants through the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act.
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