Providing transportation in rural areas and Railroad Safety. Well also learn about the department of transportations priorities for the coming year. Live coverage on cspan3. We have some wonderful, luxurious, very nice seatingrow. Id like to encourage everybody tole to closer. Were going to have a very nice discussion. Id like to encourage everybody closer. Make the setting a little bit more cozy and familial. We very much enjoy that. We like having a nice conversation about one of our favorite Public Policy issues. Yeah. Right along there. Thanks so much. Well, great. I want to welcome everyone to this panel. Again, thank you, all, very much for joining. My name is lawrence smith. Deputy assistant secretary for policy at the u. S. Department of transportation. It will be three years this month that ive been at the department. Incredibly honored to be part of a great team. Doing a lot of what we think is really, really awesome work. Going to be a lot of help to a lot of different parts
For joining. My name is loren smith. Itll be three years this month that ive been at the department, incredibly honored to be part of a great team doing a lot of what we think is really, really awesome work. Its going to be a lot of help to a lot of different parts of the country. Were really, really excited about. I had the honor of serving previously with secretary chow at the labor department. Its been a fascinating experience seeing different cabinet agencies and how the different organizations work. Im joined today by four really excellent panelists i think youre going to enjoy hearing from. I first want to introduce Alex Herrgott who is executive director of the public improvement counsel, fipsi. He has been in that role since september 2018. He had been serving previously as the associate director for infrastructure for counsel on Environmental Quality at the white house. Mr. Herrgott worked for senator james earnhoff in california. He served as primary staff for transportation
That representation Transportation Safety issues along with my Ranking Member senator cantwell let me welcome our Signature Panel of witnesses and thank them for this hearing. Well hear from the department of transportation including neil szabat ron brinks and straygur of the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and deputy minister of traffic and safety. Welcome to each of you. Fixing americas surface transportation act of 2019 better known as the fastback rasterized the administrations responsible for ensuring the safety of our surface transportation paid sns and fra. Identifying issues this committee should consider as we prepare for reauthorization. The fastback places a greater focus on our nations Multimodal Network that includes establishing the emperor Grant Program. This program and others such as formerly tiger grants are critical to improve our nations transportation infrastructure. I hope the winces will provide the committee with an update on efforts to improve our i
Ms. Norton todays hearing on School Bus Safety is a timely hearing with children out of to see what needs to be done to keep them safe. I am interested in keeping them safe not only on school buses and as they get on and off school buses, but i am interested in keeping them safe in the streets as they go to school. It is true that school buses have a relatively set safety record. It is also true that children or everyed every day crashes. Us related more than i believe in most accidents, we owe it to our children, the students, to examine why these fatalities done tond what can be prevent them. There are some School Districts, school buses in my own district, modes oftake other transportation including biking, car, goingding in a on public transportation. Children are often at greater risk outside a school bus than inside it. We have figures showing 260 four students have died in School Transportationrelated accidents in the last 10 years. 97 were struck by a vehicle. Hile walking near
Including joel sabat, ron batory from the federal railroad administration. Ray martinez, administrator of the Safety Administration and heidi king from the national Highway Safety traffic system. The fix of the american act, better known as the fast act is responsible for ensuring the safety of our surface Transportation System including fmcsa, nhtsa and fra. Todays hearing provides our witnesses with the opportunity to discuss the implementation of the fast act. And to identify issues that this committee should consider as we prepare for a surface transportation reauthorization. The fast act established the infraGrant Program. This and others such as build grants formerly tiger grants are critical to improving our nations transportation infrastructure. I hope the witnesses will provide the committee with an update on improving the infrastructure and how intra, and bill grants are being utilized. As they reauthorize the fast act, i plan to work with cantwell and other members on both s