On December 3, 2015, Congress passed a five-year reauthorization of the federal surface transportation programs called the “Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act” or FAST Act. The legislation included significant policy and funding provisions for counties and marks the first long-term transportation bill in over a decade.
Since counties play such a critical role in the nation’s transportation system - owning 45 percent of all public road miles and 39 percent of the National Bridge Inventory, and having involvement in a third of all public transportation systems - NACo has made the reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs a top legislative priority for the organization.
The passage of the FAST Act represents a significant achievement for counties across the country. Not only will it provide states and local governments with the long-term certainty needed to plan and deliver projects, but the legislation also makes more federal funding available for the types of infrastructure owned by counties and addresses additional county priorities. On Friday December 4, President Obama signed the FACT Act into law.
Click HERE for more information on FAST Act
Steve Gray
Director of Governmental Affairs