Congressman Lowenthal Announces Major Legislative and Funding Wins In House Transportation Bill

Press Release

Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) announced that he has secured significant policy priorities, nearly $25 million in funding for 47th District projects, and the inclusion of critical environmental language in a major transportation legislative package that passed the House today.

The $715 billion surface transportation reauthorization legislation, the INVEST in America Act, passed the House by a vote of 221-201. The bill will modernize infrastructure nationwide and support the American Jobs Plan, which includes critical, additional investments in our infrastructure.

"I was proud to vote to pass the INVEST in America Act," Congressman Lowenthal said. "Our nation desperately needs to rebuild and reinvest in our transportation and infrastructure systems. This major federal funding package will help us move into the future with more efficient, reliable, and sustainable infrastructure. I am also proud of the funding for numerous projects in the 47th District I was able to secure in this bill as well as critical legislative language to address the growing global plastics waste crisis and support our local water utility authorities. Now, we begin the critical work of moving these critical policies through the Senate."

Congressman Lowenthal championed numerous policies included in the INVEST in America ACT, including:

Over $24 million in funding for community projects which benefit the 47th district
Major investments in freight goods movement, which are critical to our port economy
$8.3 billion to reduce carbon pollution
$4 billion in electric vehicle charging infrastructure
Strong Buy America and labor protections
The Congressman also led amendments and critical provisions of the bill including:

An amendment to grant states additional, critical flexibility to use Motor Carrier Assistance Program funding.
To reform Metropolitan Planning Organizations, to facilitate local control by ensuring that these bodies represent the populations they serve.
Provisions to study the implementation of a user fee on freight goods movement, a critical step toward ensuring sustainable, multimodal goods movement funding.
New measures to protect drivers and pedestrians by ensuring robust screening for obstructive sleep apnea in commercial vehicle operators.
In addition, Congressman Lowenthal secured funding in the bill for five regional transportation projects brought forward by local government agencies in Avalon, Garden Grove, Long Beach, and Los Angeles County. The projects, worth more than $24 million in total, will deliver critical resources to underserved communities, increase public safety, increase access for people with disabilities, and improve pedestrian mobility. These projects include:

The $6.7 million Cabrillo Mole Phase II project will transform the existing Cabrillo Mole Ferry Terminal facility in Avalon into a modern, multi-modal transportation hub for Santa Catalina Island.
The $12 million Anaheim Street Corridor will help improve traffic signal turn lane safety, construct pedestrian refuge medians, and create turn restrictions at historic collision spots along a 3-mile stretch of Anaheim St. in West Long Beach.
The $400,000 Chapman Avenue/Lamplighter Street Traffic Signal in the City of Garden Grove the traffic signal will improve traffic safety and reduce vehicle and pedestrian delay.
The $1.45 million Americas with Disabilities Act (ADA) Curbramp and Sidewalk Improvements in the City of Long Beach will help improve the ADA accessibility for the community to improve pedestrian safety and extend the useful life of sidewalks.
The $4 million Mobility Wallet Demonstration & Research Study from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) project will focus on the potential equity implications of road pricing and other innovative transportation policies in SoCal region.
The Congressman also secured inclusion of language in the INVEST in America Act that will help address the growing global plastic waste crisis. The language would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration to prohibit the discharge of plastic pre-production pellets and other pre-production plastic into waterways from facilities and sources that make, use, package, or transport pellets. Approximately 230,000 tons of plastic pellets end up in the oceans annually. These pellets are being consumed by fish and marine life--and in turn, humans--and creating additional damage to ecosystems.

Earlier this year, Congressman Lowenthal, along with Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, introduced the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, historic legislation that outlines the most comprehensive plan ever introduced in Congress to address the plastic pollution crisis that is poisoning our air, water, and land, and disproportionately impacting communities of color and low-income Americans

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