JACKSON, MISS– The house and senate transportation committees discussed the needs and new legislation of the highways, railways, and drivers in Mississippi this week.
During a joint meeting between the house and senate transportation committee, the Mississippi Department of Transportation presented a list of needs. MDOT is tasked with taking care of 30,000 highway miles, keeping a close watch on nearly 5,800 bridges, nearly 3,000 miles of railroad, 150 airports, 69 public transportation systems and 16 ports. And it’s not just making sure it’s all safe–MDOT removes around 290,000 bags of litter from the roads every year.
To maintain all of those tasks, MDOT says they’ll need more money. Prices for materials have gone up, but MDOT officials say revenue has not increased since 1987.
The House Transportation Committee also talked about how your’e getting home after a party. Service such as Lyft and Uber can breathe a sigh of relief thanks to House bill 1381, which states transportation network companies would have the ability to work in Mississippi without threat of the state or local governments shutting them down.
These bills have to be passed out of committee and ready for House Floor debate by Tuesday, February 23 by 8pm, or they are considered dead in committee.
