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July 01, 2021

Chairwoman Johnson Statement on House Passage of the INVEST in America Act

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) released the following statement after voting to pass the INVEST in America Act—a $715 billion bipartisan plan to rebuild and reimagine our nation’s infrastructure, while also creating good-paying jobs and addressing the climate crisis.

“As the senior Texan on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I was proud to support the INVEST in America Act on the floor today,” said Chairwoman Johnson. “This bill will make historic, transformational investments in our nation’s surface transportation and infrastructure systems, including over $27 billion specifically allocated for Texas projects. For too long, Congress has failed to act boldly when it comes to our infrastructure—and Texas has paid the price. By passing the INVEST in America Act, we are reversing that trend and recommitting ourselves to building back better, reconnecting our communities, and restoring our global competitiveness.”

Congresswoman Johnson secured several of her priorities in the final version of the INVEST in America Act, including ones that:

  • Establish a grants program in the Department of Transportation to develop transportation workforce training programs for workers adversely affected by industry automation,
  • Emphasize that contractors participating in a federally funded transportation contract with a minority-owned business must ensure that it is fulfilled, and
  • Assist communities to retrofit transportation infrastructure that creates obstacles to their mobility and employment opportunities to provide greater transportation equity.

The Invest in America Act also makes significant investments in transportation research, development, and demonstration to support a safer and more resilient, equitable, and sustainable transportation future. The legislation supports long-term, high-risk research across all modes of surface transportation. It would also put our nation’s best minds to work addressing critical transportation challenges, such as cybersecurity and sustainability.

“As the Chairwoman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I understand that the long-term viability of our transportation system is largely dependent on quality research and the development of new innovative transportation technologies,” added Chairwoman Johnson. “I was pleased to work with my friend and colleague Chairman DeFazio to see most of the bipartisan transportation innovation priorities of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, that Ranking Member Lucas and I introduced separately as H.R. 3594, incorporated into this bill.”

Click here for a fact sheet on H.R. 3684 from the Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. Click here for the bill text.