Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore), chair of the House Transportation Committee, met with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and a bipartisan group of House members in early March to kick off federal infrastructure discussion.

The group discussed a goal of building modern, sustainable infrastructure throughout the country, providing jobs and support for economic recovery following the pandemic-driven recession. 

Click here to view the White House readout of the meeting.

The next bill is expected to be an updated version of the Moving Forward Act, a $1.5 trillion investment package that passed out of the House last July. Due to challenges related to the pandemic and other pressing needs, the 2020 package was delayed until 2021. 

Full parameters of the next bill remain to be seen, as the president is soon expected to release a framework for his “Build Back Better” recovery plan reported to include $3 trillion for economic and infrastructure investments.

In lieu of an investment package in 2020, transportation funding squeaked by in reauthorization of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act through two separate continuing resolutions, one in September and one in December.

The FAST Act provides both formula and competitive grant programs, administered through the U.S. Department of Transportation. Counties, the nation’s majority owner of roads and bridges, can access funding for highway, transit, and rail projects under the FAST Act.

Top priorities in the upcoming investment package are expected to include, fixing roads and bridges; improving transit to cut congestion and emissions; creating smarter, safer roads, modernizing airports; updating wastewater infrastructure; and better maintenance of ports.

While the timeline is not yet clear, DeFazio intends to have a bill prepared by the end of spring. 

The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and affiliate, the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors (OACES), have already resumed their advocacy work on the 2021 investment package, submitting advocacy letters with county priorities to members of Oregon’s Congressional delegation.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession, Oregon county road departments are facing an estimated loss of $60 million in State Highway Fund revenue by the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, the largest dedicated funding source for county road maintenance and preservation (50 percent on average). With 53 percent of Oregon’s land federally owned, county governments have also relied on federal revenue to maintain and facilitate infrastructure development. Oregon county road departments have experienced a 45.8 percent total decline in federal revenue over the last decade—a continuing trend due to the dramatic declines in the U.S. Forest Service resource payments and the federal gas tax not being increased since 1993.

General priorities for AOC are in line with the work of the National Association of Counties (NACo), federal partner, that is also heavily involved in federal transportation talks. Top level priorities for Oregon counties include:

  • Stabilizing and ensuring long-term solvency of the Federal Highway Trust Fund;
  • Investment in locally owned infrastructure;
  • Streamlining and shortening the federal permitting process;
  • Flexibility for local partner project delivery; and
  • Supporting sustainable infrastructure funding for forest counties.

Contributed by: Megan Chuinard | Public Affairs Associate