U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Dist. 14) | Contributed photo
U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Dist. 14) | Contributed photo
U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Dist. 14) received a commitment from Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) on Tuesday during House debate on H.R. 3763, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015.
Shuster agreed to work on directing federal transportation funds to suburban areas as the bill goes to conference to ensure a more equitable distribution of highway funds among urban, suburban and rural communities.
“This bill dedicates discretionary grant funding to freight and highway projects of national significance,” Hultgren said. “Though this program is of vital importance to projects in all of our districts, there appears to be a bias on how the vast majority of funds have been awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and suburban projects appear to be often ignored. I ask the chairman to be mindful of the distribution of such funding levels as it pertains to suburban projects…I would ask that as this bill moves to conference, we work together to find some level of equitable distribution of federal funds to suburban areas.”
Before the debate on H.R. 3763, Shuster met with Hultgren and representatives from Illinois, including transportation authorities, local governments, universities and industries for a discussion on Illinois' infrastructure and funding needs.
Hultgren co-sponsored an amendment to the bill that restores transit benefits for mass-transit commuters. Hultgren also filed an amendment to ban the secretary of transportation from lobbying for any federal, state or local legislation.
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