Hultgren Bill Passes House in Final Transportation Package

Congressman Randy Hultgren
June 29, 2012

WASHINGTON -- Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4348, a new investment in our national surface transportation programs, by a bipartisan vote of 373-52.

"This long overdue investment in our national infrastructure gives some certainty to our local communities,” said Rep. Hultgren. “They need the ability for long term planning to reduce congestion and make our roads safer."

"Our international competitiveness is directly tied to the health of our highway and freight systems, and I am thankful the House and Senate came to a bipartisan agreement to get this bill passed. American businesses need a strong national infrastructure system to get their goods to market, and so this new multi-year authorization bill was long overdue."

Hultgren had repeatedly requested that the committee and conferees extend the tax break for transit benefits. That measure was not included in the final package.

"While I’m disappointed the transit benefit tax break didn’t make it in, I’m hopeful that we can restore those tax breaks in future legislation," said Hultgren.

The transportation bill also included H.R. 3666, the Veterans Accelerated License Obtainment and Recertification (VALOR) Act of 2011, introduced by Congressman Hultgren in December 2011.The VALOR Act would make it easier for veterans returning from combat with truck driving experience to get their commercial driver's license certifications.

“This legislation could go a long way to reducing the unemployment rate among our nation's veterans, and I am glad it was included in the final transportation bill," said Hultgren.