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T&I committee opens member-priority portal as it begins surface-transportation reauthorization work
Summary
Chairman Graves told members the committee will center this Congress on reauthorizing the nation’s surface transportation programs and other infrastructure laws, opened a portal for member priorities and signaled work on pipeline safety, water infrastructure and FAA implementation.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee opened its members’ day hearing by laying out priorities for the 119th Congress and launching a portal for member input on surface-transportation reauthorization.
Chairman Graves, speaking at the start of the hearing, said the committee’s “top priority is the reauthorization of the nation's surface transportation programs” and described plans to review the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to keep elements that work and change those that do not. “The portal for members' offices to submit priorities to a surface transportation reauthorization bill went live on Monday and will be open until May 30,” he said.
Why it matters: The surface-transportation reauthorization will set funding and program rules for highways, bridges, transit and freight for multiple years and is considered a “must-pass” vehicle for the committee. Committee leaders also told members they intend to work on pipeline safety reauthorization, water infrastructure bills and continued implementation of the five-year FAA reauthorization enacted last year.
Ranking Member Larson echoed the bipartisan tone, saying the testimony would feed the upcoming surface-transportation bill. He said the bipartisan infrastructure law is “delivering results for communities across the country” and emphasized that the committee will prioritize safety, economic competitiveness and environmental restoration as it drafts legislation.
Committee procedure and next steps: The chair sought unanimous consent to put witnesses’ full statements into the hearing record and set a five‑minute limit for oral remarks; members were allotted two minutes of questioning per witness. The committee asked members to use the online portal and coordinate with staff as the reauthorization drafting process begins.
The hearing then moved to individual member testimony on district-level priorities, which committee leaders said will inform the drafting of the reauthorization bill.
