Legislation
Judge blocks vaccine mandate for federal contractors
(Source: Progressive Railroading 12/08/2021) A federal judge yesterday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees of federal contractors. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker in Georgia issued the stay to prevent the mandate from taking effect nationwide. The order was in response to lawsuits from contractors in seven…
Read MoreRail industry applauds ‘historic’ funding levels in infrastructure bill
(Source: Progressive Railroading 11/08/2021) Railroads praised the House of Representatives’ passage late last week of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes full five-year surface transportation reauthorization. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) includes $66 billion for railways, $39 billion for public transit and $17 billion for ports and waterways. “As we continue to…
Read MoreGovernors praise bipartisan deal on infrastructure
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/28/2021) The National Governors Association lauded the infrastructure agreement reached last week between a bipartisan group of 10 U.S. senators and President Joe Biden. The agreement creates a framework for a five-year, $973 billion package to fund the nation’s infrastructure. Of that amount, $579 billion is new spending that was not allocated though other projects. The…
Read MoreGOP senators unveil counterproposal to Biden’s infrastructure plan
(Source: Progressive Railroading 04/23/2021) A group of U.S. Senate Republicans led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) yesterday introduced a five-year, $568 billion infrastructure plan — a much smaller and more narrow proposal than President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan. The GOP’s plan would address what the senators characterized as core, physical infrastructure: roads and…
Read MoreBiden budget would spark ‘second great rail revolution’
(Source: Progressive Railroading 04/19/2021) President Joe Biden last week presented to Congress his fiscal-year 2022 discretionary budget request, including $25.6 billion for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The amount proposed for USDOT represents a 1.3% increase over FY2021 enacted funding. The budget proposal “sparks the second great rail revolution” by including $625 million for a new competitive…
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