IEC formally expressed support for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s surface transportation reauthorization proposal, the BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870), citing provisions that would streamline permitting, improve project delivery, and support investment in critical infrastructure projects.
Commonly known as the highway bill, the legislation authorizes $580 billion for the nation’s federal surface transportation programs––including highway and transit investments––over five years through Fiscal Year 2031. Congressional action is needed because current surface transportation authorizations are scheduled to expire on September 30, 2026. Failure to enact a new authorization would create uncertainty for state departments of transportation, transit agencies, contractors, and infrastructure owners planning future projects.
The bill would provide long-term funding certainty for transportation infrastructure while continuing federal investments in roads, bridges, transit systems, freight mobility, and related infrastructure projects across the country. For contractors, a multi-year authorization provides greater visibility into future project pipelines and allows agencies to plan larger infrastructure investments with confidence.
In a letter submitted to Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), IEC highlighted several provisions that are particularly important to electrical contractors working on transportation, utility, communications, and energy infrastructure projects.
“Of importance to IEC, provisions of the BUILD America 250 Act will help streamline permitting and environmental review processes, improve interagency coordination, and accelerate investment in critical infrastructure projects,” IEC wrote in its letter to the committee.
IEC’s support is driven in large part by the bill’s permitting reform and project delivery provisions. The legislation seeks to reduce unnecessary delays by expanding the use of categorical exclusions, improving federal agency coordination, and streamlining environmental reviews for transportation projects. These reforms have the potential to accelerate project timelines and provide greater certainty for contractors involved in transportation infrastructure construction.
The association also noted that the bill does not encourage or impose government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) or other restrictive labor mandates that could limit competition on federally assisted transportation projects.
In its letter, IEC stated that “America’s infrastructure challenges require an all-of-the-above workforce strategy that fully utilizes both union and nonunion tradespeople and contractors alike.”
The bill passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 22 by a 62-2 bipartisan vote and must be considered by the full House.
The Senate is still crafting their bill across multiple committees of jurisdiction.
With so few legislative calendar days remaining this Congress, stakeholders anticipate the possibility of a short-term funding bill to be passed by Congress instead. However, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Graves is retiring at the end of this Congress and wants to get a bill signed into law to support his chairmanship tenure.
IEC will remain engaged throughout the process to support policies that promote open competition, workforce development, efficient project delivery, funding certainty, and commonsense permitting reforms that help contractors build and maintain the infrastructure needed to support America’s economic growth, mobility, and public safety.