Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted to advance the INVEST in America Act, a critical component of the Biden Administration’s bold action plan to invest in our nation’s transportation and infrastructure while creating good-paying, American jobs and rebuilding American communities. The INVEST in America Act will now advance to the House floor for consideration.
“The bipartisan INVEST in America Act is a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure that creates millions of good-paying jobs in America and rebuilds our economy as we navigate through the impacts of the pandemic,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “I am especially pleased the bill includes several of my provisions that make significant investments in building resilient infrastructure to withstand the impacts of climate change, including wildfires, landslides, and floods, while putting the U.S. on a path toward achieving zero-emissions in the transportation sector. The INVEST in America Act provides us an opportunity to fix our country’s crumbling infrastructure while ensuring economic prosperity for America’s workers, their families, and their communities. I am committed to continuing to work with the Biden Administration and my colleagues to ensure this record investment in our country comes to fruition.”
The INVEST in America Act will reauthorize surface transportation programs through Fiscal Year 2026, including for roads, bridges, transit systems, rail, and safety programs. In total, the bill authorizes $547 billion in investments, which will help to create and sustain jobs, lessen congestion on our roadways, enhance transit, biking, and walking options for commuters, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the quality of life in local communities.
The INVEST in America Act also included several initiatives spearheaded by Congresswoman Brownley:
- The bill will make significant investments in zero emission buses, a key priority advanced by Brownley. Additionally, Brownley secured language in the Committee-passed bill to ensure all California transit agencies are eligible to apply for zero emission bus grants, and provisions to incentivize all transit agencies to make the transition to zero emission vehicles.
- The bill sets aside specific funds for local community priorities, a key priority of Brownley’s, advanced through her Support Local Transportation Act and the Surface Transportation Investment Act. Brownley secured language that will increase the sub-allocation of Surface Transportation Program funds to local communities, like Ventura County, from 55% under current law to 60% over the authorization period in the bill.
- The bill creates a new grant program specifically for local community transportation infrastructure priorities. In addition to ensuring this program was open to Ventura County and our local cities, Brownley secured language ensuring that the Port of Hueneme – a key economic driver in Ventura County – would be eligible to compete for grants under this program.
- The bill requires the Federal Highway Administration to include the Port of Hueneme – and other ports with more than $1 billion in annual cargo value – in the national multimodal freight network, language advanced through Brownley’s National Multimodal Freight Network Improvement Act.
- The bill establishes new metrics and funding set-asides for pedestrian and bike safety infrastructure, and it requires states to make more safety investments to address areas with high fatality rates among vulnerable road users, a key priority advanced by Brownley’s Safe And Friendly for the Environment (SAFE) Streets Act.
- The bill includes the Stop for School Buses Act, bipartisan legislation that Brownley co-authored, which will address significant risks to children posed when vehicles violate school bus stop signs.
- Brownley’s Climate Resilient Transportation Infrastructure Study Act, legislation to require the Department of Transportation to conduct a thorough study of climate resilient infrastructure, was included in the bill.
- Brownley worked with other Southern California Members, including Congresswoman Napolitano and Congressman Lowenthal, to include language to direct the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide transportation planning assistance to the Greater Los Angeles region related to the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympic, Paralympic, and Special Olympics Games.
- The bill also includes Brownley’s bi-partisan legislation, co-authored with Congressman Greg Pence, to improve the highway-railway grade crossing program to allow federal safety program funds to be used to replace functionally obsolete warning devices.
To learn more about the INVEST in America Act, click here.
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