In recent weeks, both House and Senate Transportation Committees have introduced and advanced their own versions of a reauthorization of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which is authorized through September 30. The FAST Act is the main source of federal funding for highway, road and bridge projects throughout the country. It is currently authorized at $305 billion over fiscal years 2016 through 2020, but it was temporarily extended through the 2021 fiscal year last fall.
In late May, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works unanimously passed their own $303.5 billion proposal, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act. Within this proposal, they make small edits to current workforce development proposals already authorized under the act in an effort to expand access and opportunities for students in transportation-related education and training programs.
Following the Senate action, last week House Democrats introduced the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act, a $547 billion, five-year reauthorization bill. Then later in the week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced the proposal favorably out of committee on a near party-line vote.
Like the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, the INVEST in America Act falls short of the sweeping investments included in the American Jobs Plan, but does include some workforce development provisions. For instance, it would establish a task force comprised of representatives from surface transportation industry sectors and other experts to develop recommendations and strategies to address surface transportation workforce needs and ways to increase representation of women and minorities in surface transportation careers. It also would establish transparency and reporting requirements for the On-the-Job Training and Supportive Services program - states would be required to develop annual statewide workforce development plans to identify and address workforce gaps and underrepresentation of women and minorities, in addition to establishing annual workforce development compacts with state workforce development boards and other appropriate agencies.
As previously mentioned, both of these proposals included some smaller workforce development proposals, but none of the sweeping proposals the Administration laid out in the American Jobs Plan. These proposals, however, are seen as the first steps in working towards bringing the President’s American Jobs Plan to fruition. We expect that given the upcoming expiration for surface transportation funding, Congress felt the urgency to pass this first, then will most likely use the reconciliation process later this fall to address other infrastructure needs. Continue to visit the CTE Policy Watch Blog for more updates and potential action alerts to ensure more comprehensive CTE and workforce development proposals are included in any infrastructure package!
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