Alex Padilla: “I rise to speak in support of the Transportation Equity Act, which I introduced today. As our Nation is making historic…”

“I rise to speak in support of the Transportation Equity Act, which I introduced today. As our Nation is making historic investments in our transportation infrastructure through the bipartisan intrastructure law, equity should be at the forefront of the Federal Government's plans to revitalize communities and ensure access, mobility, and opportunity for all. One of President Biden's first actions in office was signing an Executive order on advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities through the Federal Government, which states, ``Our Nation deserves an ambitious whole-of-government equity agenda that matches the scale of the opportunities and challenges that we face.'' To accomplish this bold agenda, we need the interaction and involvement of diverse groups of stakeholders to ensure communities are heard and create effective policies. Fortunately, we have a model for how we can bring such groups together to infuse equity into our transportation and infrastructure investments. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Transportation established the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity to provide advice and recommendations on comprehensive, interdisciplinary issues related to transportation equity from a variety of stakeholders involved in transportation planning, design, research, policy, and advocacy.…”