Press Releases
Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Secures Critical Bipartisan Amendments in INVEST in America Act; Bill Passes Committee and Heads to Floor for Final Vote
Washington,
June 19, 2020
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Rocio Cruz
(Houston, TX) – Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) secured several bipartisan amendments in the INVEST in America Act, H.R. 7095, to help improve infrastructure resiliency, expand federal support for natural gas and propane as alternative fuels, and ensure high-speed rail projects, like the Texas high-speed train project, can secure the funding they need. The INVEST (Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation) in America Actauthorizes nearly $500 billion over five years to address some of the country’s most urgent infrastructure needs. The bill passed the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee earlier today and is expected to pass the House of Representatives in coming weeks. “In Houston, we know the positive impact that improving existing infrastructure, building in a more resilient way, and upgrading our transit systems will have on our communities,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “As our T&I Committee finalized the INVEST in America Act, I was glad to work across the aisle to ensure the bill reflected the priorities of our region.” Below are Congresswoman Fletcher’s amendments that were included as a part of the INVEST in America Act:
Additionally, Congresswoman Fletcher, along with Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) and Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32), pushed for an amendment to allow high-speed rail projects, like the Texas high-speed train project, to more easily secure the funding they need. Currently, these projects must pay a risk premium entirely up front, but this amendment creates a new credit risk financing mechanism allowing for these projects to be paid off over the term of the loan. In addition to these amendments, the INVEST in America Act also contains many top funding priorities, including:
A detailed fact sheet on the INVEST in America Act can be found here. |