Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr.’s bill to improve America’s transportation system as well as clean up the nation’s drinking water passed the U.S. House of Representatives today. The bill, the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST) Act (H.R. 3684), provides $715 billion over the next five years to repair and rebuild roads, bridges and passenger rail networks across the country. In addition, the bill includes Rep. Payne, Jr.’s amendment to focus efforts to remove lead from drinking water on schools and low-income communities that have suffered from previous lead contamination.
“This bill will pave roads and repair bridges to improve commutes and trips for millions of working Americans in New Jersey and nationwide,” said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. “These investments will create millions of good-paying jobs and help America become more competitive worldwide. I am proud of the strong investments it makes in clean drinking water, but I wanted to make sure our lead removal efforts put a higher priority on schools and neighborhoods that have a history of lead contamination. We need to make sure that what happened to the drinking water in Newark and Flint, MI does not happen anywhere else.”
Overall, the bill provides several other benefits to the nation’s infrastructure:
- $343 billion to repave, repair and rebuild roads and bridges across the country, which includes $4 billion to create a national electric vehicle-charging infrastructure.
- $95 billion for passenger and freight rail, including $32 billion for Amtrak to improve facilities such as the Gateway Program and increase routes.
- $109 billion for general transit upgrades and improvements, including more investments into zero-emission public vehicles and rural networks.
- $117 billion to purify drinking water and establish safer water infrastructure, including $45 billion to replace all lead-contaminated water pipes.
- $51 billion to modernize the country’s wastewater management systems, including $2 billion to protect rivers and lakes from sewage overflows.
Rep. Payne, Jr., Chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials for the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, introduced the bill with Rep. Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
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