WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) led her colleagues Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Fetterman (D-PA) and Katie Britt (R-AL) in reintroducing bipartisan legislation to cut red tape and strengthen the domestic bus manufacturing industry by providing more flexibility for local transit systems when purchasing buses.
Current U.S. standards impose outdated, 40-year-old payment practices on our bus manufacturers and purchasers, which result in unnecessarily high costs. Many domestic bus manufacturers have gone bankrupt or left the market, despite high demand for new vehicles. The Bus Rolling Stock Modernization Act would help fix this problem.The legislation allows bus purchasers to make advanced payments up to 20%, which will help manufacturers to keep costs down.
“Each day, transit systems connect Minnesotans to their jobs, schools, and countless other opportunities – all while reducing traffic congestion,” said Senator Smith. “This bill makes a commonsense update to current practice by cutting unnecessary red tape and strengthen the domestic bus manufacturing market. This small change will also support U.S. bus manufacturing jobs, get more buses into service, and help Americans get to their work, school, and health care appointments more easily.”
“Our legislation cuts unnecessary red tape, allowing bus manufacturers across America to invest in their production capacity,” said Senator Cramer. “This commonsense change provides greater flexibility for North Dakota’s local transit agencies and directly benefits manufacturers like Motor Coach Industries in Pembina.”
“Our Alabama manufacturers provide the transit that connects our rural communities and our largest cities. I want to ensure people across our great state continue to have access to high-quality, American-made vehicles that allow them to travel safely and efficiently to work, school, the grocery store, and everywhere in between,” said Senator Britt. “Our bipartisan legislation supports domestic manufacturing and helps local transit agencies better serve our communities. Cutting senseless red tape while supporting Made in America manufacturing is simply common sense.”
“Right now, we’re stuck with 40-year-old rules that prevent bus manufacturers from investing in the workers and equipment they need. It’s a problem that’s hurting transit agencies in big cities and small towns across Pennsylvania,” said Senator Fetterman. “This bill fixes that by giving local agencies the flexibility they need to get buses on the road faster and at a lower cost, while helping American manufacturers meet demand. I’m proud to be part of this effort to keep Pennsylvanians moving.”
You can find a one-pager on the bill here.
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