Frank Pallone: “I am pleased that we were able to come together to find a longer-term solution for our nation's infrastructure. We…”

“I am pleased that we were able to come together to find a longer-term solution for our nation's infrastructure. We cannot keep operating on short-term fixes. Investments in our country's infrastructure need certainty. Though I would have preferred to see greater funding levels across the board, I am pleased to see provisions such as the High Density States Program are protected and funded for the next five years. While I will vote for this bill because it puts Americans back to work and allows our state and transit authorities to do long-term planning for our crumbling infrastructure, I must highlight some of the reasons this bill falls short. The most substantial decreases in injuries and deaths on our roads and highways occurred as a result of major safety advancements, such as requiring seatbelts and airbags in all new cars. Today, we have a vehicle title that does not include such a safety advancement and does little to improve safety. This was a missed opportunity. This bill could have included meaningful safety improvements, such as imminent hazard authority to allow NHTSA to expedite a recall order when necessary, a requirement that ensured recalled used cars are repaired before they are sold, safety standards for rear seat crashworthiness, and the elimination of regional-only recalls that no longer make sense for our increasingly mobile world.…”