GROW[ING] AMERICA's Bill Titles

Last month the Department of Transportation released the GROW AMERICA (Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America) Act, which along with the USA PATRIOT Act and the USA FREEDOM Act, is another needless and painstakingly long short bill title. 

To ascertain my take on such acronyms, see my recent article in the Stanford Law & Policy Review Online. 

Generally, the Department of Transportation notes that the bill aims to: 

• Address the shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund and provide $87 billion to address the nation’s backlog of deficient bridges and aging transit systems;
• Create millions of new jobs to ensure America’s future competitiveness;
• Increase safety across all modes of surface transportation, including increasing the civil penalties the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) can levy against automakers who fail to act quickly on vehicle recalls;
• Provide certainty to state and local governments that must engage in long-term planning;
• Reduce project approval and permitting timelines while delivering better outcomes for communities and the environment;
• Bolster efficient and reliable freight networks to support trade and economic growth; and
• Create incentives to better align planning and investment decisions to comprehensively address regional economic needs while strengthening local decision-making.

More information can be found in these Dept. of Transportation GROW AMERICA fact sheets.