When Members of Congress submitted their priorities for the next transportation bill, they asked for what their districts need: more reliable funding for regional priority projects, safety funding, bridge investments and more. As leaders on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) and Rep. Rob Bresnahan (PA-08) partnered to introduce a bipartisan bill that could deliver reliable transportation investment in every community in America – H.R. 7437 – Bridges And Safety Infrastructure for Community Success Act (BASICS Act).
Support for H.R. 7437 BASICS Act
The National League of Cities is strongly supportive of this legislation to help deliver more transportation funding to every region in the country reliably, every year. Through our Local Officials in Transportation (LOT) coalition, NLC has joined with seven of the nation’s leading local and regional governments organizations to support H.R. 7437 — representing more than 25,000 individual counties, cities, towns, planning agencies and regional economic development organizations across the United States. We also have the strong support of 75 state associations representing the views of all 50 states.
How BASICS Supports Communities’ Priority Transportation Projects
- Delivers Regional Priority Projects Faster: Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are responsible for developing Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs) that identify local priority projects that meet federal performance goals. The BASICS Act accelerates delivery of these regionally supported projects by increasing funding for the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program. As the most flexible federal transportation formula program, STBG allows states and regions to move projects forward efficiently and deliver tangible benefits for local businesses, workers, and communities in every congressional district.
- Invests in Repairing Bridges: Builds on the Bridge Formula Program to continue fixing the nation’s most deficient bridges, with a focus on both state- and locally owned infrastructure. Unlike prior approaches, the BASICS Act ensures that funding for locally owned bridges is proportional to the number of locally owned bridges in each state, directing resources to the bridges in worse condition regardless of ownership.
- Focuses on Road Safety: Nearly 100 people lose their lives on America’s roads every day. The BASICS Act strengthens the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) to confront this crisis head-on by increasing overall safety funding and preventing states from transferring HSIP dollars away from safety priorities. The bill also ensures that 25 percent of HSIP funding is delivered regionally in both urban and rural areas, giving local governments direct access to capital for proven safety projects and building on the success of the Safe Streets and Roads for All program.
- Ensures Transparency and Collaboration: Federal transportation dollars must be accountable to taxpayers. The BASICS Act improves transparency around how funding flows, what resources are available to regions and how projects advance from planning to delivery. By reinforcing collaboration across federal, state, regional and local partners, the bill helps ensure projects move efficiently and deliver real results on the ground.
- Builds Strong Plans for Rural and Urban Regions: The BASICS Act invests in planning capacity by strengthening Rural Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPOs) and increasing Metropolitan Planning (PL) funding. Strong planning leads to better project selection, faster delivery and smarter investments, ensuring both rural and metropolitan regions can advance projects that reflect local priorities and long-term needs.
“Local governments strongly support the BASICS Act because it streamlines federal investment into regional priorities so we can rebuild local bridges and roads that Americans use every day. We are stronger as a nation when Congress partners with local governments, that helps cities, towns and villages deliver what communities need to keep them moving.”
– Kevin Kramer, Councilmember, Louisville, Ky., and National League of Cities President
This week, NLC and NACo thanked Congress for centering local partnership and safety in the next surface transportation reauthorization by backing the bipartisan BASICS Act, highlighting the critical role local governments play in bettering America’s roads and bridges.
Take the Next Step
- Join NLC’s Next Transportation Update on March 4 at 4:30 PM ET.
- Share a Quote in Support of H.R. 7437.
- Send a Quick Letter to Your Congressional Delegation on BASICS.
- Download the BASICS Act One-Pager to Share (PDF).
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