The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will see new Democrats move up the ranks as the panel, known for its bipartisan work, begins to craft big ticket legislation like the next surface transportation reauthorization.
Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation who also sits on the highway and transit subcommittee, announced last week he won't seek reelection after this legislative session. The committee has not yet named a replacement for Nehls, who took the helm in January.
Indiana Democratic Rep. Andre Carson on Wednesday was named as the aviation subcommittee's new ranking member, replacing Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, who stepped down in June. Carson has been on the subcommittee since 2013.
Carson's longer-term fate in Congress could be in flux as a controversial GOP redrawing of the Hoosier State's congressional map draws the longtime Democrat out of his own district. The proposal would split Democrat-stronghold Marion County, home to Indianapolis, into four districts. Carson won the House seat in 2008 after the death of his grandmother, Julia Carson, who had held the seat since 1997.
The aviation subcommittee Wednesday held a hearing on the advance air mobility industry, during which Carson said he wanted the AAM industry and FAA to
Carson becomes the ranking member as the subcommittee prepares to implement the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which the House passed in May. "Rep. Carson brings years of valuable experience to the subcommittee," said committee Chair Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., during the roster markup Wednesday.
Florida Democrat Rep. Maxwell Frost was appointed to the subcommittees on Highways & Transit and Railroads, Pipelines, & Hazardous Materials. Frost takes the posts as the T&I committee
Frost previously introduced the Transit Bus Affordability Act to reduce the cost of buses for transit agencies. In August, the T&I committee asked the Government Accountability Office to study the rising cost of transit buses as requested in Frost's bill.
"Since joining Congress, Rep. Maxwell Frost has been a leader on transportation, fighting for more affordable and efficient public transit with his Transit Bus Affordability Act," Ranking Member Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said at the hearing. "Rep. Frost understands the transportation needs of his constituents and will hit the ground running as an effective advocate for a safer, cleaner, greener and more accessible transportation system."
