Congresswoman Laura Richardson Introduces Comprehensive Legislation To Improve The Flow Of Freight Across The Nation, Create Jobs And Boost The Economy

Press Release

Congresswoman Laura Richardson Introduces Comprehensive Legislation To Improve The Flow Of Freight Across The Nation, Create Jobs And Boost The Economy

Last night, Congresswoman Laura Richardson introduced major legislation that will result in a more efficient flow of goods in, out and across the nation while creating jobs and boosting our economy. The Freight is the Future Of Commerce in the United States Act of 2010 (Freight FOCUS Act) (H.R. 6291) will establish a process for freight planning and prioritizing funding centered around a new assistant secretary heading up a new Office of Freight Policy in the Department of Transportation. The bill provides for public and private sector involvement in the process, prioritizes major goods movement corridors, funds projects to alleviate choke points, and provides funding to mitigate the effects of goods movement on the environment and public health. It will also create a Goods Movement Trust Fund, which will be a dedicated source of funding for such projects and contain safeguards to ensure that if funding came in from a specific mode, those funds will be dedicated to projects for that mode.
"Transportation hubs across the nation are hampered by aging infrastructure and unsupported transportation corridors," Congresswoman Richardson said. "My district, California's 37th, is home to multiple freeways and railways, including the vital Alameda Corridor, that see 40% of the nation's freight cross over them each year. These major freight corridors are responsible for transporting goods to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the busiest port complex in the nation. The ability for goods to flow smoothly and efficiently impacts both the local and national economies."

The major provisions of the Freight FOCUS Act include the creation of an office of freight planning at the Department of Transportation, which would conduct planning and designate corridors of national significance; a National Freight Advisory Committee, which would be the formal mechanism for the private sector to have input into funding priorities and planning; and a Goods Movement Trust Fund, which would provide competitive, merit-based grants for necessary projects across the nation. The legislation will be funded by a 12 cent increase in the diesel tax paid by trucks, and a $3 billion a year transfer from the General Fund into the Goods Movement Trust Fund. It is drafted in an open format so other revenue raisers can be added and it can be adapted into the transportation reauthorization legislation.

"This is badly needed legislation that will improve the flow of goods across the country, create jobs through the construction of infrastructure and the enhanced national freight network, and improve the economy," Congresswoman Richardson added. "For decades the needs of our freight system have been ignored and we need to act now in a comprehensive way to fix its failings. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to move this legislation forward and get our goods and economy moving at full speed."

The Freight FOCUS Act has already been endorsed by the American Truckers Association, the Waterfront Coalition, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, the International Union of Operating Engineers, the Port of Long Beach, and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.

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