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House Transportation Bill Approved. Find Out How Train and Transit Amendments Fared!

November 5, 2015

  • U.S. House passes STRR by a vote of 363 - 64.
  • Train passengers successfully defeated several anti-transit amendments, and restored a key program used to fund new transit rail lines.
  • With a surprise $40 billion in play, passenger advocacy in pushing for the DRIVE Act in the Senate-House conference negotiations process is even more important.

The House highway and transit bill was approved today by a vote of 363 to 64, setting up a momentous round of negotiations between the House and the Senate on what the final transportation bill will look like.

But first things first: yesterday, NARP alerted passengers about some big opportunities—and threats—they should be aware of. Because you responded, we were able to claim some big victories on the House floor:

  • Rep. Dan Lipinski’s (D-IL) amendment to restore an 80/20 federal-state match and increase local flexibility for key transit programs used to build new light rail, commuter rail, and streetcar systems passed en gros as part of a large package of amendments.
  • Rep. Steve Russell’s (R-OK) amendment to ban all federal investment in streetcar projects was defeated by a voice vote.
  • Rep. John Culberson’s (R-TX) amendment that would’ve hurt large transit agencies through onerous equity-to-debt regulations was defeated by a recorded vote.
  • Rep. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) amendment to eliminate the federal role in transportation—a particularly dangerous threat for passenger rail, which excels at providing intercity and interstate connectivity—was defeated by a recorded vote.

Unfortunately, many promising bipartisan amendments were filtered out by the House Rules Committee before the full House could vote on them (the amendments labeled “ruled not in order” in the table below). That just means your involvement in the conference negotiations process is all the more important!

While both bodies are controlled by Republicans, the differences between the Senate’s DRIVE Act and the House’s STRR Act are stark. The DRIVE Act increases levels of infrastructure investment for roads, rails, and transit. Additionally, it includes a number of extremely promising provisions that would increase Amtrak’s authorization levels, give a greater voice to the National Network in passenger rail planning, and incentivize restoring and expanding train service—including passenger rail along the Gulf Coast.

The STRR Act, on the other hand, completely ignores passenger trains, and freezes funding for highways and transit at existing levels.

That gulf will need to be sorted out next week when the full list of conferees are named by House and Senate leadership. What’s more, a last-minute amendment filed by Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), and approved by the full House, could provide an extra $40 billion in funding over the life of the bill. The amendment is based on a complicated proposal to liquidate and dissolve the Federal Reserve capital surplus account. If it were to be included by conference negotiators in the final surface transportation bill, it could potentially allow Congress to even increase transportation investment levels above those envisioned by the DRIVE Act.

Stay tuned next week for more updates as NARP works to bring you all the latest developments affecting the trains that keep America connected!

Full List of Amendments Targeted by NARP

Amendment Sponsor(s)

NARP Position

NARP's Take

Outcome

Peter DeFazio (D-OR)

Support

Not only has the gas tax not been raised since 1993, it hasn't even been pegged to inflation, meaning its purchasing power is steadily decreasing. This amendment would take a necessary, albeit small, step in adressing the funding crisis facing the highway and transit trust funds

Ruled not in order

James Renacci (R-OH), Reid Ribble (R-WI), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Mark Amodei (R-NV), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Michael Capuano (D-MA), Lou Barletta (R-PA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), and Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Support

There have been 34 short term extensions of the surface transportation program since 2009. If the U.S. economy is to keep pace with global competition, its infrastructure can't be perpetually mired in crisis. This bipartisan bill would create a commission of Republican and Democratic members to identify solutions to this ongoing problem. And, in a nod to the current state of Washington politics, it empowers the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to raise the gas tax to fund highways and transit should Congress fail to act on the committee's solutions.

Ruled not in order

Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Mike Mike Quigley (D-IL), Bob Dold (R-IL)

Support

The Railroad Rehabiliation and Investment Fund (RRIF) has $35 billion in largely untapped rail development funds. By explicitly including Transit Oriented Development as an eligible activity, this amendment would look to utilize the unique power of stations to serve as focal points for real estate development to finally free the RRIF program to power economic and community growth.

Ruled not in order

Earl Blumenauer (D-OR

Support

It's a political truism in Washington that it's never a good time to raise the gas tax. But when the American Trucking Association AND the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are begging Congress to raise fuel taxes to address a growing transportation infrastructure crisis, it may be time to rethink the party line.

Ruled not in order

Steve Russell (R-OK)

Oppose

By essentially outlawing streetcars, this amendment robs local communities of choice in selecting which mode works best for them.

Defeated by a voice vote

Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Mike Mike Quigley (D-IL), Bob Dold (R-IL)

Support

A partner amendment to the bipartisan trio's proposal to use $35 billion in RRIF funding to power the economic development of train stations.

Ruled not in order

Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), Mike Quigley (D-IL)

Support

Congress took the necessary step of extending the PTC deadline to keep the trains running past December 31. Now it's time for them to make sure railroads are able to meet the new deadline in installing this life-saving technology.

Ruled not in order

John Culberson (R-TX), Jamie Herrera-Beutler (R-WA), Al Green (D-TX)

Oppose

Masked by bureaucratic jargon--the Federal Transit Administration uses the term "Fixed Guideway System" to describe any light rail, heavy rail, rapid rail, streetcar, or trolley system not explicitly regulated by the FRA--this amendement would create a nearly impossible bar for rail transit projects to clear. There's only one question: if no highway project is required to meet this burden, why should rail transit projects?

Ruled not in order

John Culberson (R-TX)

Oppose

Practically speaking, this amendment would target cities with large rail networks, and early indications are no large transit agency in the U.S. would be able to meet this requirement. This not only holds transit to a higher standard than roads, it holds transit systems to a high debt-to-capital standard than the banks that sparked the great recession.

Failed by a recorded vote (Roll Call 603 - 116 to 313)

Maloney, Sean (NY), Dold (IL), Blumenauer (OR), King, Peter (NY), McGovern (MA), Lance (NJ), Lipinski (IL), Hultgren (IL), Zeldin (NY), Quigley (IL), Comstock (VA)

Support

Finally establishes much-needed parity between tax benefits offered to workers who commute by train and those who drive and park.

Ruled not in order

Donna Edwards (D-MD), Barbara Comstock (R-VA)

Support

Don't let the mild description fool you. This amendment would permanently terminate the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund, devolving the federal transit and highway programs to the states—because who needs the interstate commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution?

Ruled not in order

Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Bob Dold (R-IL)

Support

Has the potential to allow local governments and businesses to develop transit stations to their full economic potential by expanding TIFIA eligibility to projects to improve or construct public infrastructure located within walking distance of a station.

Passed en gros (Roll Call 623 - 354 to 72)

John Culberson (R-TX), Al Green (D-TX), Gene Green (D-TX)

Support

Rolls back an attempt to undermine investment in New Starts—an investment program that, among other things, has proved effective and launching and expanding transit rail systems—by eliminating a 50/50 federal-state match requirement. It reintroduces the 80/20 federal-state match—the same percentage required for highway projects.

Ruled not in order

Ron DeSantis (R-FL)

Oppose

We're glad Reps. Culberson and Green are helping a commuter rail project already underway in their own community. But it makes us wonder why they've filed an amendment to make it harder to start new commuter rail projects in other towns…

Failed by a recorded vote (Roll Call 606 - 118 to 310)

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