FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:

Kristina Baum (Inhofe) – 202.224.6176

Donelle Harder (Inhofe) – 202.224.4721

Mary Kerr (Boxer) – 202.224.8832

Kate Gilman (Boxer) – 202.224.8832

Inhofe, Boxer Praise Senate Passage of the DRIVE Act

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), ranking member of the Senate EPW Committee, today praise passage of H.R. 22, the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act (DRIVE Act) in a vote of 65 to 34.

"We applaud our colleagues in the Senate for taking an historical step forward in our country's transportation and infrastructure. We are proud to see such strong bipartisan support in the Senate’s passage of the DRIVE Act. Americans have had enough with short-term extensions and no longer want to see Congress kicking the can down the road.  We now have three more months to work to advance a long-term funding solution with the U.S. House of Representatives, which is ample time to break the cycle of short-term patches. We encourage constituents, businesses, and local leaders to maximize their representatives' August work period and share the critical need for safer bridges and more efficient roads," the Senators said.

On June 24, the Senate EPW Committee passed the DRIVE Act (S.1647) out of committee unanimously. On July 21, the DRIVE Act that incorporates the four committees of jurisdiction, including EPW, Commerce, Banking, Homeland Security/Government Affairs and Finance, was reported to the Senate floor. Text of the legislation can be found here.

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