Mike Levin: “What this does is improve the bill's focus on the transportation needs of small metropolitan and rural areas by…”

“What this does is improve the bill's focus on the transportation needs of small metropolitan and rural areas by involving them in a greater way in the planning process. It is important that a State transportation improvement program be developed with the cooperation of our nonmetropolitan planning organizations, as well as the metropolitan planning organizations. The bill, unless we adopt this modified amendment, will simply continue the ISTEA I structure, which only requires that nonmetropolitan area planning organizations be consulted in the planning process. We raise that one level to require that there be cooperation with those smaller units of government. That has a significance to our Department of Transportation and to the States and greater significance to the smaller units of government and their planning organizations so that they will be involved in a greater way in the planning process.”