Press Releases

Today, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a number of measures, including H.R. 1752, the Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act, legislation to remove hurdles for broadband projects under Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants.

“The Committee held another successful markup on a number of bipartisan bills by Committee Members. In particular, I’m proud that the Committee approved my legislation, the E-BRIDGE Act, to help spur projects that attract jobs and businesses to expand economic development and opportunity in rural and poor communities,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO).  “Too many of our communities, particularly in rural America, still lack broadband access. In some cases, just completing that ‘last mile’ is what stands in the way of connecting people to a job or the services they need, and this bill offers help in bridging that last mile.”

“I want to thank Chair Graves for holding another successful markup with a number of pieces of important legislation advancing to the full House for consideration,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Rick Larsen(D-WA). “In particular, I was proud to support Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton’s bill to sell the federally owned Webster School in Washington D.C.—this will save taxpayer dollars by selling an unused property as well as reduce the amount of unused space in the General Services Administration’s portfolio.”

A full list of measures approved by the Committee can be found below:

H.R. 1752 - Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act, introduced by T&I Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), will remove hurdles for broadband projects under Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants, ensuring that local communities can partner with the private sector and giving communities more flexibility in complying with their funding match requirements.  More information about the E-BRIDGE Act can be found here.

H.Res. 609 – Expressing Opposition to Central Business District (CBD) Tolling Program of New York City, introduced by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), expresses opposition to the proposed tolling program, which would place significant economic burdens on both small businesses and commuters in the region.

H.R. 1547 – One Seat Ride Act, introduced by Rep. Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-NJ), directs the Secretary of Transportation to analyze various obstacles to implementing single-seat trips on commuter passenger rail and requires the Secretary to conduct a cost/benefit analysis of a “one-seat-ride” trip during peak times on New Jersey’s Raritan Valley line.

H.R. 4688 – To direct the Administrator of General Services to sell the federally owned property known as the Webster School in Washington, DC, introduced by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), with Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) as an original cosponsor. The empty Webster School was condemned by the General Services Administration (GSA) in 2003, and the bill decreases the amount of unused space in the GSA’s portfolio.

H.R. 4693 - Tennessee Valley Authority Salary Transparency Act, introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) as an original cosponsor, increases transparency by reinstating a requirement for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to annually report senior-level employee salaries to Congress.

H.R. 4762 –to extend the non-premium war risk insurance program, introduced by Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN), extends the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide non-premium war risk insurance to participants in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) and other air carriers operating under a Federal government contract through fiscal year 2025.  War risk insurance authority allows domestic air carriers to support U.S. government and military missions throughout the world.

A package of GSA resolutions that includes 15 leases for Department of Veterans Affairs Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) across the country.

H.R. 532 – To designate the “Harold L. Murphy Federal Building and United States Courthouse” in Rome, GA, introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

More information about today’s markup, including bill text, amendments approved, and the video recording, can be found here.