Johnson Votes to Advance Highway Bill

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to invest in America’s critical transportation and infrastructure programs and protect American infrastructure from Chinese spy technology. Several of Johnson’s priorities were included in the Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development (BUILD) for America’s 250th Act, which passed the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee with a bipartisan 66-2 vote.

“America’s roads, bridges, and railways are among our most important assets,” said Johnson. “People use roads every day to get to and from work, school, or the doctor. For others, the roads are their office – they spend hours each day hauling goods across the country. Roads are critical to community life, the supply chain, and our national security. The BUILD America 250 Act provides a strong investment in our transportation system to keep America moving and gives states the driver’s seat to address their unique needs.”

Click here to watch Johnson’s remarks.

“The South Dakota Trucking Association applauds the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee for advancing the BUILD America 250 Act,” said Christine Erickson, President of the South Dakota Trucking Association. “A long-term, sustainable surface transportation bill is critical to keeping freight moving safely and efficiently across South Dakota and the nation. Investments in our roads, bridges, and supply chain infrastructure support economic growth, strengthen rural connectivity, and ensure the trucking industry can continue delivering for American families and businesses.”

The BUILD America 250 Act:

• Provides $45 billion for bridge program funding – the largest-ever investment in American bridges.
  • More than one-third of United States bridges need major repairs or replacement. Motorists drive across “structurally deficient” bridges 163 million times each day.
• Cuts red tape to ensure projects get built more quickly and with fewer costs due to permitting delays.
• Invests $750 million to expand truck parking to decrease the nationwide shortage of truck parking. 
• Focuses resources on work zone safety and supports law enforcement.
• Requires the Secretary of Transportation to remove Commercial Driver’s License mills from the provider registry to ensure truck drivers are properly trained and licensed.
• Combats cargo theft, which costs the freight industry more than $18 million per day. The BUILD America 250 Act protects these goods, driving down costs for consumers. 

Johnson priorities included in the bill: 

• Provides more than $2 billion in federal highway funding for South Dakota over five years.
• Provides more than $460 million in bridge funding for South Dakota over five years, more than double the previous allocation of $225 million.
• Johnson’s  Securing Infrastructure from Adversaries Act, which prohibits the Department of Transportation from using LiDAR technology from foreign adversaries like China, which creates millimeter-level accurate digital 3-D maps of our infrastructure.
• Streamlines National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews for Federal Highway Administration projects to ensure faster reviews for projects.
• Exempts livestock haulers from electronic logging devices and hours-of-service requirements when traveling within a 150 air-mile radius from the final destination of the livestock.
• Johnson’s amendment to establish a voluntary ten-year pilot program for states to increase truck weights on federal interstates up to 91,000 lbs. on six axles, easing burdensome regulations and improving driver recruitment and retention.
• Increases funding for the Tribal Transportation Program.

Click here for bill text.