ATSSA joins radio campaign urging passage of infrastructure bill

ATSSA, as part of the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC), is joining a radio campaign to urge people across the country to reach out to members of Congress to urge them to pass the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA).

The campaign starts today and runs in 13 states in the districts of members of the House of Representatives who are uncommitted on their vote.  

The Senate passed the $1.2 trillion IIJA on Aug. 10 by a vote of 69-30. The House had been expected to vote on the bill by Sept. 30 but has not taken action.

The radio campaign is being launched by the TCC and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-led Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM). It is scheduled to run during rush-hour drive times over the next few weeks. It will air on radio stations within the districts of the following members of the House of Representatives:

• Cori Bush (D-Mo.)
• Kai Kahele, (D-Hawaii)
• Veronica Escobar (D-Texas)
• Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.)
• Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)
• Melanie Stansbury, (D-N.M.)
• Mark Amodei (R-Nev.)
• Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.)
• Darin LaHood (R-Ill.)
• Peter Meijer (R-Mich.)
• Daniel Meuser (R-Penn.)
• Tom Rice, (R-S.C.)
• Lloyd Smucker, (R-Pa.)
• Randy Feenstra, (R-Iowa)
• Troy Balderson, (R-Ohio)

You can listen to the ads here.

The TCC is made up of 33 groups including the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), the American Iron & Steel Institute and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner issued a statement Oct. 5 expressing disappointment at the House’s failure to pass the IIJA.

The House’s failure to act on Sept. 30 meant the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act expired that night. Over the next two days, Congress approved a 30-day extension of the surface transportation funding so ongoing projects were not disrupted and the Highway Trust Fund could remain solvent but that extension expires soon.

ATSSA previously posted a “Fact v. Fiction” document to address issues commonly raised about the IIJA that were causing confusion for some who were evaluating whether to support it.

That document, created by ATSSA’s Government Relations Team, noted that the IIJA includes more than $22 billion over five years for roadway safety projects. This is a massive increase over current spending on projects that will save lives on U.S. roadways in every Congressional district and will be a significant economic boon to the roadway safety infrastructure industry and communities across the country. Roadway safety investments in the IIJA include:

• $16.8 billion for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) (compared to $13 billion currently)
• $5 billion for a new Safe Roads for All program, focusing on state and local vision zero projects
• $300 million for rural road safety countermeasures related to roadway departures
• $350 million for wildlife crash mitigation projects
• $120 million for tribal road safety infrastructure projects 
• $25 million for pedestrian security

To reach your member of Congress, go to https://www.congress.gov/members.