Schakowsky Applauds Passage of INVEST In America Act, Including Auto Safety Provisions and Funding for Local Projects
WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 3684, the INVEST In America Act, by a vote of 221-201:
"The INVEST in America Act is not only an investment in our nation's roads and bridges but includes urgently needed investments in water infrastructure, automobile safety, rail, and transit. It helps meet the president's vision—as laid out in the American Jobs Plan—by creating jobs, accelerating our green transition, combating climate change, and investing in our local communities. This legislation is about America's future and puts us squarely on the road to building back better.
"Residents and communities across the 9th Congressional District will benefit from over $14 million in five targeted surface transportation projects included in this bill. These are projects that are emblematic of the various ways that residents travel throughout the region, and are just a few key examples of many other projects that need funding in the years to come.
"Our nation is suffering from an automobile safety crisis that requires swift and decisive federal action. The INVEST in America Act takes that much needed action. It includes provisions which will end the epidemic of hot car deaths, prevent drunk driving, make innovative safety technologies standard on all new cars, prevent the collapse of seats during crashes, protect pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users, prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, improve limousine safety, enhance booster seat safety, and update safety ratings for new cars.
"These transformative auto safety provisions, which I ushered through my subcommittee, will prevent tens of thousands of deaths, millions of injuries, and hundreds of billions of dollars in costs to society each year. I'd like to thank my colleagues, victims' families, and safety advocates for their tireless work to put a stop to auto safety tragedies. This legislation will ensure there is not one more death or injury that could have been prevented.
"The INVEST in America Act includes $45 billion in funding to fully replace lead service lines. This issue is particularly important to me as my home state of Illinois has more than 680,000 lead service lines, and Chicago, part of which I represent, has over 400,000 lead service lines.
"Access to clean water is a human right. The ability to access safe drinking water is not just a problem that environmental justice communities face. It is a problem that America faces. No matter where you live, you should not have to fear that your drinking water is unsafe. We must further invest in our nation's drinking water infrastructure, and this bill is an important step.
"I call on my Senate and Republican colleagues to come to the table and get this done for the American people. The INVEST in America Act lays out a bold set of infrastructure policies and backs them up with the investments needed to build back better. The American people expect action from this Congress. Let's work together to move quickly and deliver a groundbreaking package that will invest in America and protect lives."
The INVEST in America Act included several Member Designated Funding Requests made by Congresswoman Schakowsky. These projects will:
• Repair an important thoroughfare ($2 million in improvements to DuSable Lake Shore Drive),
• Address a notoriously congested major intersection ($4.5 million to improve the Rand Road / Kensington Road / IL-83 intersection in Mount Prospect),
• Rehabilitate an aging train station ($3.6 million to modernize the Loyola Red Line CTA Station),
• Close a gap on a popular regional bicycle and pedestrian trail ($3.5 million for the Skokie Valley Trail), and
• Modernize a well-traveled bus line ($400,000 for traffic signal improvements on PACE Bus Line's Harlem PULSE line).
A fact sheet, prepared by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Majority Staff, can be found HERE.
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