INVEST in America Act Passes U.S. House
On July 1, the House of Representatives passed its Highway bill, HR3684, the INVEST in America Act, by a vote of 221-201. The act authorizes $715 billion in expenditures. It closely resembles the Highway bill that previously cleared the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and includes an additional title from the House Energy and Commerce Committee related to drinking water infrastructure ($117 billion). HR3684 also includes $383 billion for roads and bridges, $109 billion for transit, $95 billion for passenger and freight rail, and $51 billion for wastewater infrastructure. More information can be found here.
IFCA and other ag groups were asking the Illinois congressional delegation to support an amendment to the Farm-Related Restricted CDL that would have:
- Provide more flexibility by expanding the total days allowed to utilize Farm-Relate Restricted CDL drivers up to 270 days to accommodate for the longer seasons, which can fluctuate from year to year due to climate change as well as more diversified crop production. The state would maintain the ability to set the seasons these days could be utilized by the industry.
- Ensure the new 12-month seasons restart each calendar year on January 1 to prevent any overlap of seasons from the previous year.
Late last week, the House Rules Committee defeated the amendment on a 3-7 vote. IFCA will continue to pursue options in the Senate.
As widely reported last week, a bipartisan group of Senators reached an agreement with President Biden on a framework for a broader $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. This agreement centers on a Highway bill and includes additional spending for other brick-and-mortar infrastructure, such as port and inland waterway infrastructure ($16 billion) and broadband ($65 billion).