This is it: take action on the BIB

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (formerly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework) is moving fast — and it continues to look pretty good for people who bike and walk.

As we’ve written before, it’s not perfect. And while it is a great step forward that will build safer, more accessible communities — and while we celebrate the wins for bicycling and walking — we can take action today to make the bill better. 

Join the League in contacting your Senators in support of amendments to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that will mitigate some of the bill’s shortcomings. By including these amendments now, in the Senate version of the transportation reauthorization bill, we will lay the groundwork for ensuring the best ideas from the House INVEST Act have a better chance at ending up in the final law.

Brown Amendment to improve the Bicycle Commuter Benefit (2236)

• The benefit would allow commuters to use part of their parking benefit for bike commuter costs.
• Can be used for expenses such as the purchase and maintenance of a bicycle, and bikeshare membership.
• It improves on the old benefit by reducing the paperwork for employers.

Klobuchar Amendment to eliminate regressive safety performance targets (2301)

• Ensures states set safety performance goals that improve safety, and not allow states to set safety “goals” that concede to worsening conditions. 
• There is no penalty for states. It would continue the current practice that if a state fails to meet its safety goals, the state is required to spend designated safety dollars on safety (i.e. can’t transfer out). 

Cardin amendment to improve the GHG performance measure (2465)

• This amendment would add a performance measure for GHG from transportation. (Set by DOT in consultation with EPA).
• States would set performance measures that reduce GHG per capita. 
• States that fail to meet their targets would have to spend their carbon reduction program funds on reducing carbon (i.e. can’t transfer out.) 

Warnock/Cardin amendment to increase funding to the Reconnecting Communities Program (2167)

• This amendment would increase funding for the Reconnecting Communities Program, which is part of an equitable response to the damage done to low income and communities of color after over decades of highway construction.

Reed Amendment to remove the 20-year traffic projection for Interstate design (2284)

• This amendment would increase the design flexibility for project sponsors by repealing 20-year traffic project requirements for Interstate construction.
• Obsolete traffic projection models have caused many state DOTs and other project sponsors to overbuild certain Interstate facilities, costing taxpayers billions while failing to address congestion in urban and suburban areas.  
• AASHTO is supportive of this policy change, which would give their member DOTs additional flexibility to design Interstate facilities based on their engineering judgement rather than outdated models.

Kaine Amendment to require a “fix it first” approach to highway funding (2143)

• This would require states to show they are making progress on maintaining existing roads before building new ones.
• It would also ensure states look at other cheaper or more sustainable alternatives (such as operational and transit fixes) before adding new capacity.

Take action now to show that bike advocates want this bipartisan bill to be as transformative as possible not only for people who bike, walk, and roll, but for everyone.