Taxpayer Watchdog Calls for Transportation Reform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kara Zupkus (224) 456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) called for comprehensive reforms to America’s transportation system ahead of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee’s markup of H.R. 8870, the BUILD America 250 Act. On May 17, the Committee released the $580 billion surface transportation reauthorization proposal spanning more than 1,000 pages. 

In response, Ross Marchand, Executive Director of TPA, offered the following comment:

“The transportation markup process is an important opportunity for lawmakers to lower transportation costs for millions of Americans. In particular, it’s critical that Rep. Vince Fong’s (R-Calif.) amendment extending liability protections to ridesharing apps is incorporated in the legislation. Americans take more than 4 billion trips using ridesharing platforms each year, but runaway litigation has resulted in rapidly escalating costs. Lawmakers need to end this tort tax and protect consumers against trial lawyers.

“It’s also important that lawmakers keep the Railway Safety Act (RSA) out of the transportation bill. Heavy-handed rules imposed by the RSA would destroy technological innovation and keep rail costs far too high. Provisions such as the two crew member requirement have absolutely nothing to do with rail safety and would needlessly increase the price of transported goods for all Americans. The RSA would saddle rail operators with outdated mandates that ignore decades of safety improvements and technological advancements across the industry. Lawmakers should reject these costly and unnecessary provisions before they derail innovation, disrupt commerce, and make everyday goods even more expensive for American families.

“The current version of the transportation bill contains several policy potholes, including runaway Amtrak funding and even protectionism for yellow highway paint. Lawmakers can significantly improve on this legislation and ensure that the transportation system works for all Americans.”

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The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis, and dissemination of information on the government’s impact on the economy.