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Eight leading local and regional government organizations announced their endorsement of new bipartisan legislation, the BASICS Act, to invest in transportation infrastructure.
Congressional leaders said the Bridges and Safety Infrastructure for Community Success Act (BASICS Act), introduced by U.S. Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI) and Roba Breshanhan (R-PA), renews and updates federal surface transportation programs to focus on local bridges, road safety and community-selected priority transportation projects. Current federal transportation programs will expire on Sept. 30, 2026 without Congressional approval for the renewal of federal surface transportation programs.
The supporting organizations represent transportation planners, engineers, public works leaders, counties, cities, towns, planning agencies and regional economic development organizations across the country. The organizations – National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Development Organizations, National Association of Regional Councils, American Public Works Association and the National Association of County Engineers – said the legislation was a significant improvement into how federal money is spent on infrastructure.
“Local governments strongly support the BASICS Act because it streamlines federal investment into regional priorities so we can rebuild local bridges and roads that Americans use every day,” Kevin Kramer, president of the National League of Cities, and a Louisville, Ky., councilmember. “We are stronger as a nation when Congress partners with local governments, that helps cities, towns and villages deliver what communities need to keep them moving.”
The BASICS Act would target bridge funding based on condition and ownership; strengthen flexible formula programs for local and regional project delivery, deliver safety dollars to high-risk roads, support metropolitan and rural transportation planning, and reinforce accountability and locally driven project selection.
“The BASICS Act would be a monumental step in ensuring that counties have access to federal funding for transportation infrastructure,” Matt Chase, executive director of the National Association of Counties, said. “This bill would ensure that more counties — especially rural counties — can utilize federal funding for important road, bridge and safety projects in our communities. As committee leaders work to develop the next five-year federal surface transportation reauthorization bill, counties urge them to include the BASICS Act as a core part of that legislation.”
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