The $547 billion surface transportation bill would make transformational investments to create good paying jobs bringing America’s roads, bridges, transit, and rail into the modern era
Washington, DC - The list of groups coming out in support of the INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684) continues to grow. The bill, introduced by Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), now has the support from more than 60 organizations, including industry, labor, environmental groups, and local governments. It was approved by the committee on a bipartisan vote and now advances to the House floor.
Here’s why organizations say they support the INVEST in America Act:
American Public Transportation Association (APTA):
“This once-in-a-generation, forward-thinking investment will help our communities meet growing mobility demands, create family-wage jobs, expand U.S. manufacturing and supply chains, and grow the economy. This legislation will put us on the path to increase access to opportunities for all Americans and build more equitable communities, while also addressing the environmental and sustainability challenges facing our communities, nation, and the world. In addition to these critical investments, the INVEST in America Act includes important policies from streamlining the Capital Investment Grant program to investing in new technologies like zero emission buses that will create the transportation systems of the future. The time is now to make this transformational investment in our national infrastructure that will provide staying power to drive our economy for years to come.”
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD):
“We applaud the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for putting the needs of working families first by reintroducing the INVEST in America Act. This legislation builds on legislation introduced and passed by the House of Representatives last year by providing additional, unprecedented investments into our nation’s highway, rail, and transit systems. Moreover, by including strong labor protections across the entire bill, the INVEST in America Act ensures our country can compete in a global, 21st century economy, while creating and sustaining good jobs in construction, operations, maintenance, design, and manufacturing.”
International Brotherhood of Teamsters:
“For too long, elected officials have only talked about infrastructure investment but done little about it. But now, thanks to the House committee’s approval of the INVEST Act, the traveling public as well as those who do the work to keep the nation’s roads, rails and bridges up-and-running have reason for hope. This legislation is an elixir for our faltering transportation networks. Not only would it provide a safe and more environmentally-friendly way for people to commute or conduct their daily business, it would also allow greater and easier access. It would also train and provide good-paying jobs to workers using new technologies that will improve our way of life.”
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):
“This legislation sets its sights on the future, one with strong job growth, a booming economy, redress for racial inequities, and a safer climate. And, critically, this bill avoids unnecessary rollbacks of environmental reviews and public input. This is the bold approach we need to tackle our crises of racial inequity and climate change. In addition to the historic funding for transit and rail, this bill restructures a national transportation program long stuck in the 1950s, retooling it to tackle climate change and get us to a safer, more prosperous future. This is a long-overdue and crucial change, and one that must be part of any final legislation.”
Transportation for America:
“The proposal that Chairman DeFazio released today takes last summer’s fairly groundbreaking INVEST Act and improves on it. We are particularly happy to see the inclusion of a program to address transit deserts and another program to reconnect communities divided by transportation infrastructure, like highways. Like last summer’s bill, this proposal includes reforms to the core, fundamental programs to ensure that states prioritize repair, make safety a primary goal, and make access to jobs and opportunities a priority for the billions we invest each year. This is a paradigm shift from the approach of the last 30 years of proposing small, exciting new programs to fix recognized problems while allowing the much larger core program to exacerbate and further those same problems.”
American Trucking Associations (ATA):
“The INVEST in America Act is a solid piece of legislation that authorizes a transformative increase in funding for roads and bridges, creating a strong baseline of new investment that aligns with the growing needs of our nation’s aging infrastructure. ATA supports this bill and will continue working to improve and advance it into law. We thank Chairman DeFazio and staff for their leadership and outreach throughout this legislative process.”
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE):
“We applaud your efforts and offer our support for, the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act. Your five-year, $547 billion authorization addresses the growing challenges facing our roads, bridges, and transit systems by providing a vital increase in funding levels to address project backlogs, provide much-needed program stability, and give added attention to safety, the impacts of climate change, and resiliency.”
American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC):
“We have a generational opportunity to make transformative investments in our nation’s infrastructure and ACEC strongly supports the dramatic funding authorizations in the INVEST in America Act, which are critical for upgrading our roads, bridges, transit and rail systems to address years of deferred maintenance and modernize our transportation networks. The programs in this bill will equip our public sector partners to foster economic growth, incorporate new technologies, improve safety, and enhance resilience and sustainability.”
National League of Cities:
“The National League of Cities thanks Chair DeFazio and Subcommittee Chairs Norton and Payne for responding to the unrequited infrastructure demands facing the nation’s cities, towns and villages with a bolder vision for transportation with the INVEST in America Act. The nation’s cities have called on Washington to rebuild and reimagine the roads, bridges, transit, and rail connections that are breaking down so clearly today and to invest in a sustainable future in partnership with communities.”
National Safety Council (NSC):
“The attention given to safety in this reauthorization could not come at a more important time. Preliminary NSC estimates show that 42,060 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2020. This represents an 8% increase in fatalities and a 24% increase in the fatality rate from 2019. Another recent study showed that pedestrian fatalities have continued to climb in the past year. Each of these deaths was preventable.”
North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU):
“I want to thank Chairman DeFazio for bringing forth a surface transportation bill that will create millions of job opportunities for North America’s Building Trades Unions’ members across the nation rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, transit systems and rail network. The INVEST in America Act will provide the level of funding needed to lay the foundation for a stronger economy that benefits working people in every corner of the nation, in both large cities and rural communities. The Chairman’s bill will ensure strong prevailing wage standards for building trades members, and will provide training opportunities for those who seek a career in the construction industry through our Registered Apprenticeship programs.”
Labors’ International Union of North America (LiUNA):
“This $547 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill will help transform our economy while creating safer, more connected communities. With the inclusion of strong labor protections, it assures that the work modernizing our infrastructure will be fueled by American workers and manufacturing with targeted investments in rural and underserved communities.”
Transport Workers Union of America (TWU):
“The TWU enthusiastically supports the INVEST in America Act, which will significantly increase investment in our transit and rail infrastructure, generate hundreds of thousands of new, middle class, union jobs, and create meaningful protections for transportation workers. It lives up to President Biden’s commitment to build our country back better for generations to come.”
Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America):
“To lead the 21st-century technology-driven global economy, Congress will need to invest in digital infrastructure and rebuild and modernize our existing physical infrastructure. This bill lays the foundation for a better future transformed by intelligent transportation technologies.”
Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA):
“This important piece of legislation sets forth record-level investments into the key formula programs for CTAA members (Sections 5307, 5310, 5311 and 5339) and introduces a number of vital, innovative new concepts into the public transit space. These unprecedented funding levels create more opportunities for rural, tribal, specialized and small-urban transit providers to invest in low-emission vehicles, offer innovative mobility solutions to their community and introduce right-sized transit technology options into their operations.”
Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen:
“This legislation would have transformative impacts across the rail industry and the nation, benefiting rail workers, consumers, travelers, and the broader economy. We applaud Chair DeFazio and Chair Payne for a bold approach to our national rail system. The bill includes extraordinary investments in passenger rail, including historic funding levels for Amtrak and its operational and capital needs, and supports the growth of new rail operations, including high-speed rail. It also recognizes the value of a true national passenger rail network, and the need to build and maintain a world-class system.”
Environment America and U.S. PIRG:
“U.S. PIRG and Environment America are writing in support of the INVEST in America Act you introduced June 4, 2021, which would help transform transportation by investing in roads, bridges, transit, and walking and biking infrastructure with an emphasis on fixing existing infrastructure and reducing pollution that harms our health and our climate. Past federal transportation investments have made it easier and cheaper to travel by car, but at a high cost. Each year, pollution from cars, trucks and other vehicles cuts short an estimated 58,000 lives, and increases the risk of lung cancer, stroke and heart disease.”
PeopleForBikes Coalition:
“We’re grateful for your commitment to bicycles and multimodal transportation in this visionary reauthorization bill. The investments proposed will help meet the skyrocketing demand for safe, connected and accessible bike infrastructure in communities across the United States with focus on climate and equity. Thank you for including the Active Transportation Connectivity Grant Program, a central component of our multimodal future. Our economy, the climate crisis and communities across the nation demand new ways to safely move outside of cars. Investing in this program will help our nation meet broader goals to reduce carbon emissions, advance mobility equity, enhance road safety and support economic recovery.”
National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA):
“On behalf of our more than 1.6 million members and supporters nationwide, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) supports H.R. 3684, the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act (INVEST in America Act), particularly the provisions that pertain to national parks investments. If enacted, this bill would provide critical funding to repair roads, bridges and park transit systems to ensure millions of visitors can continue to experience and enjoy national parks. We also support the bill’s significant steps to reducing carbon pollution, advancing mitigation and resiliency measures that help our infrastructure adapt to our changing climate, and addressing the growing conflict between vehicles and wildlife.”
The Trucking Alliance:
“The Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, also known as The Trucking Alliance, supports the ‘Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act.’ The Trucking Alliance is a coalition of transportation and logistics businesses that collectively employ more than 80,000 people who utilize 65,000 tractor trucks and 250,000 trailers and containers to serve the nation’s supply chain. The coalition supports safety policies that can ultimately achieve zero large truck crash fatalities. These safety policies have included electronic logging devices in all commercial trucks, creating a national drug and alcohol clearinghouse and recognizing hair testing as the most effective method for identifying lifestyle illegal drug users among commercial drivers.”
Full List of Organizations Supporting the INVEST in America Act:
(List will continue to be updated here.)
- American Association for Justice (AAJ)
- American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)
- American Highway Users Alliance
- American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
- American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
- American Train Dispatchers Association
- American Trucking Association (ATA)
- Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA)
- Association for Communter Transportation (ACT)
- Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation (BEST)
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET)
- Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE)
- Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
- California Transit Association
- Center for Auto Safety
- Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE)
- City of Eugene, Oregon
- Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)
- Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA)
- Contra Costa Transportation Authority
- Cook County Department of Transportation & Highways
- Coos County, Oregon
- Environment America
- Greyhound Lines, Inc.
- Institute for Safer Trucking (IST)
- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- ITS America
- Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA)
- Los Angeles Streetcar, Inc.
- National Association of Development Organizations (NADO)
- National Association of Regional Councils (NARC)
- National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, SEIU
- National League of Cities (NLC)
- National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)
- National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
- National Safety Council (NSC)
- National Wildlife Federation (NWF)
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
- North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU)
- Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra)
- Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA)
- PeopleForBikes Coalition
- Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG)
- Rail Security Alliance (RSA)
- Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
- Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD)
- Sacramento Regional Transit District’s (SacRT)
- Safe Routes Partnership
- Salem Area Mass Transit District (RVTD)
- San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission
- San Joaquin Regional Transit District
- SMART-TD
- Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC)
- The Bus Coalition (TBC)
- The League of American Bicyclists
- The Trucking Alliance
- Transbay Joint Powers Authority
- Transportation Communications Union/IAM
- Transportation for America
- Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD)
- Transport Workers Union of America (TWU)
- Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet)
- U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG)
- U.S. Tire Manufacturers
- Water Replenishment District
- Whatcom Transportation Authority
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