Right now there is an ambitious proposal to rewrite the rules for transportation spending in America currently moving in the U.S. House. Change is sorely needed.
The INVEST in America Act is a five-year, $500 billion proposal to replace the FAST Act, which expires this year. But unlike past proposals, the INVEST Act would begin to put outcomes at the center of our decision making. The proposal would incorporate Complete Streets standards into federally funded roads, better connect housing and land use into existing transportation planning, add new requirements to fix our infrastructure before building more roads, address climate change throughout, start measuring access by all modes of transportation on a national scale, bolster our national passenger rail network, boost transit spending, and so much more.
This is a BIG bill. Yes, it has a big price tag, but even bigger are the ideas—this is most definitely not the status quo transportation bills we’re accustomed to seeing from Congress (looking at you, Senators).
Feast on knowledge
We have been writing extensively about this new proposal across all of our programs. The best place to start is with our look at how the INVEST Act advances our Transportation for America program’s three principles: prioritizing maintenance, designing for safety over speed, and connecting people to jobs and services.
Then read about nine other (mostly good) things in the legislation. If you’re looking for more, you can take a much deeper dive with these posts we’ve written so far on:
We also tracked many of the notable amendments—good and bad—that were offered by representatives this week. And you can see how the bill aligned with the goals of our LOCUS coalition of real estate investors & developers.
The INVEST Act has a long road ahead of it in Congress. After a successful markup and vote in the House’s transportation committee last week, it now moves to the full House for consideration. We’ll be looking to you to help us make sure that every representative knows how important this legislation is for our country’s future.