Recent Streetsblog USA posts about House of Representatives

House Panel Calls on U.S. DOT to Measure Access to Economic Opportunity

By Angie Schmitt | May 27, 2016 | 1 Comment

A bill working its way through Congress may prompt federal officials to get a better handle on how transportation projects help or hinder access to jobs, education, and health care. The legislation, which passed out of a House Committee this week, calls for U.S. DOT to measure “the degree to which the transportation system, including public transportation, provides multimodal […]

The Best and Worst of the New 5-Year Transportation Bill

By Angie Schmitt | Dec 3, 2015 | 6 Comments

Smart people are wading through the 1,300-page transportation bill that came out of conference committee earlier this week, and we’re starting to get a clearer sense of how it will change federal transportation policy for the next five years. The House voted to pass the bill by an overwhelming margin just moments ago, and President Obama has already […]

Just How Bad Is the Final House Transportation Bill?

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 5, 2015 | 16 Comments

Nobody was expecting the GOP-controlled House of Representatives to put together a transportation bill that did much for streets and transit in American cities. And they were right — there’s nothing to get excited about in the bill. But neither is it the total disaster for walking, biking, and transit it could have been. So how does the House bill […]

3 Bright Prospects for a Better Transportation Bill

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 3, 2015 | 2 Comments

Yesterday we reported on some of the terrible amendments that might get tacked on to the House transportation bill this week. But there are also some good ideas with bipartisan support among the hundreds of amendments submitted by members of the House. Here are three amendments that have the potential to improve transportation policy in the U.S. — should legislators give […]

Funds for Walking and Biking Under Attack in Congress This Week

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 2, 2015 | 10 Comments

Funds for walking and biking infrastructure account for a tiny portion of federal transportation spending. Safer streets don’t cost much, though, so for the cities and towns that count on these programs, a few dollars from the feds can be a huge help. Despite the relatively small sums at play, walking and biking programs are a constant […]

There’s a Nod to Complete Streets in the House Transportation Bill

By Angie Schmitt | Oct 27, 2015 | No Comments

Let’s be clear: The House transportation bill would be a big step backward for federal transportation policy. But it does include some ideas worth cultivating, including a nod to the idea that road projects should take walking, biking, transit, and access for people with disabilities into account. The problem is that the provision has no muscle […]

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