Congressman Cohen Applauds Advancement of INVEST in America Act

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, early this morning voted to advance an ambitious, five-year surface transportation bill to the House floor. The measure, the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act, contains several of Congressman Cohen's legislative priorities including:

• H.R. 1809, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Highway Act, which would name U.S. Highway 80, from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Highway;
• H.R. 3090, the Interstate Rail Compacts Advancement Act, which would create multi-state passenger rail commissions to promote regional coordination and sustain a vision of passenger rail service across the country;
• H.R. 921, the Horse Transportation Safety Act, which would protect the lives of both horses and humans as horses are transported on our nation's highways by prohibiting interstate transportation of horses in a motor vehicle containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another.

It also incorporates many elements of his other bills including H.R. 1622, the Stop Underrides Act, H.R. 3381, the School Bus Safety Act and H.R. 1289, the Complete Streets Act.

During the mark-up, Congressman Cohen introduced an amendment based off of his recently introduced bill, H.R. 3757, the Multiple Substance Impaired Driving Prevention Act, which would make important changes to the NHTSA Section 405 incentive grant to address multiple substance impaired driving. This amendment was included in Chairman DeFazio's Manager's Amendment, which also passed during the markup.

Finally, three of Congressman Cohen's amendments from last Congress were included that would that would authorize the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the inconsistent reporting of alcohol-impaired driving arrest and citation results, direct the Amtrak Working Group to study the reinstatement of dining car service on long-distance routes and sets a date for the establishment of the Committee on Underride Protection.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

"The INVEST in America Act is a transformational measure that shows the United States can again ‘think big' and meet the critical transportation needs of our country. Major elements of this bill will make a huge difference to the people of the 9th Congressional District. These investments in America will improve and speed up the movement of freight, increase traffic safety, and modernize our transportation infrastructure for the 21^st Century."

The INVEST in America Act includes $32 billion for improvements to bridges just as a cracked beam in the Hernando DeSoto-Interstate 40 Bridge over the Mississippi River at Memphis dramatically demonstrates the need for improving aging infrastructure. It also includes:

• $109 billion in record investments in transit to increase routes, reduce the transit maintenance backlog and provide more frequent service;
• $95 billion for passenger and freight rail including tripled funding for Amtrak allowing for enhanced service;
• $10 billion in existing and new programs for pedestrian and bike infrastructure and complete streets;
• $8.3 billion in highway, transit, and rail projects that will reduce greenhouse gases;
• $4 billion in electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure along designated corridors, reducing range anxiety, and helping America shift to the next generation of clean vehicles; and
• $3 billion in new program funding to reconnect economically disadvantaged and underserved neighborhoods that have been divided by arterial highways and other infrastructure, emphasizing projects that ensure inclusive economic development and environmental justice.

You can find more information about the bill here, a fact sheet here, and a section-by-section summary here.

The bill also includes Congressman Cohen's member-designated projects to improve Elvis Presley Boulevard in the Whitehaven community; the purchase of six all-electric buses for the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA); the reconstruction of the intersection of Poplar Avenue and Cooper Street in Overton Park; the reconstruction of a six-lane intersection in Orange Mound; and the installation of pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly improvements to increase safety at a critical intersection near LeMoyne-Owen College.