Bipartisan Policy Center's JayEtta Hecker Testifies Before U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Remarks Highlight National Transportation Policy Project's Framework for Transportation Investment

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- JayEtta Hecker, Director of Transportation Advocacy at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), today testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee regarding "Federal, State and Local Partnerships to Accelerate Transportation Benefits." In her testimony, Hecker detailed recommendations from BPC's National Transportation Policy Project's (NTPP) recently released report, Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy. The report, released in June, presents a vision and framework for transportation policies that are performance driven, linked to a set of clearly defined goals, and held accountable for results.

In her testimony, Hecker outlined three conclusions from NTPP's report: the "federal program should be restructured to move toward direct accountability for 'wise' investment of federal funds that optimize specified performance results; federal policies and programs need to provide direct incentives to nonfederal partners for more strategic investments and sustainable funding strategies; and new financing mechanisms may not necessarily incentivize nonfederal investment." Hecker continued, "our principle message aligns with the focus of this hearing today – that resources will always be scarce and that achieving critical national goals will require a wide range of efforts to restructure the federal program to better leverage the federal dollar and incentivize and reward performance of nonfederal partners for addressing the nation's critical transportation needs."

NTPP recommends redefining the scope of the national transportation system through a bipartisan commission, supporting states' efforts to implement equitable and sustainable direct user charges, and promoting mode-neutral, performance-based programs. "NTPP believes a wholesale reexamination of what is and what is not part of the federal surface transportation system is required," said Hecker.

NTPP's framework recommends that transportation investments advance five key national goals: economic growth; national connectivity; metropolitan accessibility; energy security and environmental protection; and safety. In order to achieve those national performance goals, states and local governments need to have the ability to substantially increase revenues for needed infrastructure investments. "Congress should establish specific provisions to support efforts by states to implement direct user charges including reducing restriction on road pricing, expanding TIFIA, and facilitating private investment with carefully targeted controls," said Hecker in her testimony.

"We believe it is essential for Congress to support the development of more specific outcome-oriented measures," said Hecker in her testimony. "Performance metrics must be fair, transparent, and free of bias toward particular transportation modes or geographic regions. A long-term commitment is needed to begin a systematic transition from a process and revenue sharing model to a performance-based program."

NTPP is led by former Senator Slade Gorton, former Congressmen Sherwood Boehlert and Martin Sabo and former Mayor of Detroit Dennis Archer. NTPP's report is a strong statement by a diverse and bipartisan group of transportation experts and business and civic leaders about the need for fundamental reform through a performance-based transportation system.

"The federal government has many opportunities, and indeed a responsibility, to reform and refocus federal transportation programs to provide the nation, its communities, businesses and individuals, value for the money spent and accountability for performance. Specific measures to incentivize and reward states and local entities for developing sustainable funding sources are needed and can be a core part of the reforms the Congress enacts as it charts a new vision for federal transportation programs," concluded Hecker in her testimony.

For more information about NTPP and to read Hecker's full testimony, visit: www.bipartisanpolicy.org.

About the Bipartisan Policy Center:

In 2007, former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell formed the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) to develop and promote solutions that can attract the public support and political momentum to achieve real progress. The BPC acts as an incubator for policy efforts that engage top political figures, advocates, academics, and business leaders in the art of principled compromise. For more information please visit our website: http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/.

SOURCE Bipartisan Policy Center