House advances transportation package with amendments to protect transit and roads; bill reprinted as amended

Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives considered House Bill 13‑64 on June 11, 2025, a measure addressing public transportation trust fund transfers and related transportation funding. The sponsor, Representative Nielsen, and several members negotiated and voted on multiple floor amendments before the body agreed to the bill as amended.

Floor action included votes on several offered amendments. An amendment by Representative Benninghoff that would have prohibited executive flexing of federal highway funds without legislative approval failed (ayes 101, nays 102). Representative Nelson offered an amendment to create a $60 million recurring grant program to support conversion of transit buses to cleaner fuels; he withdrew that amendment after the sponsor said the proposal would be considered in a broader study commission.

Representative Nielsen successfully offered amendment A01032 to create a bipartisan Transportation Funding Advisory Commission and require the General Assembly to act on its recommendations or automatically invest additional money in transit beginning June 30, 2028; the amendment passed 111‑92. Representative Nielsen later secured amendment A01046 to add $500 million in road and bridge investments paid via bonding and a portion of existing sales tax revenue; the amendment passed 144‑59.

A subsequent vote adopted the bill as amended; the chair directed the bill would be reprinted to reflect the changes. Sponsor Nielsen said the amendments together aim to create a durable, bipartisan approach to transportation funding that addresses roads, bridges and transit while preserving service across all 67 counties.

Members debating the amendments raised recurring themes: oversight of how transit trust funds are held and spent, fairness for counties that have seen federal highway projects flexed, and the fiscal pressures on the Pennsylvania Turnpike created by prior law. Representative Grove and others called for additional oversight of fund balances; Representative Heffley sought to protect Turnpike revenues (an amendment to prohibit a $50 million annual transfer from the Turnpike to the Public Transportation Trust Fund failed).

The House agreed to the bill as amended and sent the amended language for reprinting prior to engrossment and transmittal to the Senate. The bill's amendments create a commission to study longer term funding and add specified investments for roads and transit; the final engrossed text will show the precise allocations and triggers agreed on the floor.