Senate Committee Passes John P. Smith Act to Improve Safety on Tribal Roads
Statement
Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), praised the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) for passing his bill to increase the safety of roads throughout Indian Country.
The John P. Smith Act (S. 302), cosponsored by Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), streamlines the permitting process for tribal road safety projects and requires the Department of the Interior to work closely with tribes to complete permitting and approval processes in a timely manner.
The bill is named after the late John P. Smith, former director of the Department of Transportation for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation.
"The number of lives lost on roads across Indian Country is staggering. The John P. Smith Act will help make intersections, railroad crossings, and general transportation safer on tribal lands," said Barrasso.
"John Smith's unwavering commitment to improving transportation infrastructure earned him awards and respect throughout the country. More importantly, he inspired others to invest in transportation and road safety on the Wind River Reservation. It is only fitting that this bill would be named after such a committed man."
Background
Nationwide, just 17 percent of tribal roads were deemed acceptable by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. According to the Federal Highway Administration, 70 percent of tribal roads remain unpaved, and 14 percent of bridges are structurally deficient. The Centers for Disease Control lists motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death for Native American children.
On April 22, 2015, the SCIA held an oversight hearing on the issue titled: "Tribal Transportation: Pathways to Safer Roads in Indian Country."
During his time as chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Barrasso championed tribal road safety in the Senate. The highway law, passed in December 2015, included provisions from the John P. Smith Act (formerly known as the TIRES Act) that substantially increased funding for the Tribal Transportation Program through fiscal year 2020.
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