Following the introduction of the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act, National League of Cities (NLC) CEO Clarence E. Anthony issued the following statement:
“Today we applaud Chairman Inhofe, Ranking Member Boxer and members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for introducing the DRIVE Act, a bill that answers the National League of Cities’ call for greater certainty that only a long term transportation bill can provide.
“The transportation marketplace is rapidly changing, and future generations of Americans deserve better than to inherit transportation infrastructure that preserves the status quo. Whether it is the sharing economy or the higher degree of mobility, there is no question that young people are already changing the way Americans think about transportation. And there is no question that local governments are best suited to empower all of their residents in public engagement over how our communities ought to be connected in the future, both in the short and long term.
“For cities and towns, the DRIVE Act is an improvement over the status quo. The bill would improve local control of funding under the Surface Transportation Program and the Transportation Alternatives Program. But there is much more that could — and should — be done. The National League of Cities looks forward to continuing our strong partnership with Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Boxer to achieve our goal of enacting a forward-looking, long-term, multi-modal transportation bill.”
