House of Representatives
Streetsblog Basics
A Bipartisan Policy Breakthrough That Could Save Local Economies
Beth Osborne was deputy assistant secretary for policy, and then acting assistant secretary, at the U.S. Department of Transportation from 2009 until March, when she joined Transportation for America.
June 9, 2014
House Bill Would Give Cities and Towns More Say Over Transpo Spending
A bill to give local governments greater access to transportation funds has bipartisan sponsors in the House of Representatives.
June 3, 2014
The House GOP’s Campaign Strategy: Do Nothing on Transportation
A Senate committee has unanimously approved a transportation bill. Three other Senate committees are holding hearings on the bill. But over in the House? Crickets.
May 29, 2014
Shuster “Encouraged” By Obama’s Transportation Funding Announcement
Bill Shuster is still digesting yesterday’s twin funding proposals from President Obama and Ways and Means Chair Dave Camp, but he’s “encouraged” by what he’s heard. Both proposals rely on corporate tax reform to plug the hole in the highway trust fund. Camp's proposal would raise about $125 billion; Obama's, $150 billion. Neither has yet released details on how their plans would work.
February 27, 2014
New Bill Would Make Bike/Ped Projects Eligible for Federal Loans
The day after President Obama’s State of the Union plea to improve economic opportunity for struggling Americans, New Jersey Democrat Albio Sires introduced a bill that he says will help meet that goal.
January 30, 2014
The Next Transpo Bill: Can Congress Solve the Funding Problem?
It's that time again. Just 18 months after the passage of the latest federal transportation bill, known as MAP-21, Congress has to get serious about the next one. The first hearing on the bill that will replace MAP-21 took place today in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
January 14, 2014
TIGER Funding Gets 20 Percent Boost in Final 2014 Spending Bill
In a rare instance of Congress producing some halfway decent news, funding for the federal TIGER program, which issues grants for multi-modal projects, will increase after the House and Senate unveiled the details of an omnibus budget bill yesterday.
January 14, 2014
Level the Commuter Playing Field By Reducing the Tax Break for Parking
Happy New Year, transit riders! Congress has a special present: Some of you will be getting a tax increase this year.
January 2, 2014
Will Old Transit Systems Eat Up All the New Starts Grants?
One of MAP-21’s many mixed blessings was the New Starts Core Capacity program. It expanded eligibility for New Starts grants -- normally reserved as capital assistance for new transit lines -- to existing corridors. To qualify, the system just had to show that the improvements would expand the capacity of the line by at least 10 percent.
December 17, 2013
A Conservative Utah Republican’s Path to Transit Enlightenment
Greg Hughes is the majority whip of the Utah State Legislature and the chair of its conservative caucus. He got a 100 percent score last year by the conservative Sutherland Institute, a Utah think tank. He also chairs the board of the Utah Transit Authority.
December 13, 2013