Local government organizations send letter in support of the BASICS Act to congressional leaders
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Ben Gilsdorf
Rachel Yeung
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Key Takeaways
On February 16, nearly 80 state associations of counties and municipal leagues representing local governments in all 50 states sent a letter to the leaders of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works expressing their support for the Bridges And Safety Infrastructure for Community Success (BASICS) Act (H.R. 7437) and urging its inclusion in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill.
Counties and municipalities own and operate 75 percent of all public road miles, 43 percent of Federal-aid highway miles and nearly half of all bridges nationwide. Local governments also own, operate or fund most public transit and commuter rail systems, as well as many major airports, seaport, and multimodal facilities – all of which serve as critical connectors that keep people, goods and services moving.
The letter emphasizes that the BASICS Act would deliver commonsense improvements to federal transportation programs that align with key local priorities:
- Expanding local access to funding
- Strengthening federal–local partnerships
- Prioritizing transportation safety
- Maintaining the nation’s bridges
Counties and municipalities are calling on Congress to incorporate these provisions from the BASICS Act into the next surface transportation reauthorization to ensure a strong, safe and reliable national infrastructure system.
In partnership with the National League of Cities (NLC), NACo played an instrumental role in securing broad support among state associations of counties and municipal leagues.
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