Policy and Legislation
State-Level Legislation FSS PDX Supports
Intelligent Speed Assistance
Intelligent Speed Assistance, ISA, is an in-vehicle technology that helps drivers maintain safe speeds. This technology is available in either passive or active forms. Passive ISA alerts drivers when they exceed posted limits whereas active ISA prevents vehicles from exceeding a certain speed, based on the posted speed limit.
There is a growing bipartisan movement and push to adopt Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) policies across the country, powered by the voices of victims and survivors of traffic violence. The movement began in New York State, where FSS members were instrumental in introducing the first ISA-related bill in the U.S. Efforts in New York laid the groundwork for other local campaigns, including in Washington, D.C., where in 2024 the local FSS chapter successfully advocated for passage of the first ISA law in the country. This historic win marked the beginning of a growing national trend. Washington and Virginia have passed laws mandating ISA for super speeders and similar efforts are underway in Arizona, Maryland, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Tennesee, Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. FSS PDX recognizes ISA as a commonsense, targeted tool to prevent the most dangerous forms of speeding, one that should be adopted in Oregon.
Read the Stop Super Speeders White Paper
American Walks Webinar ‘How Technology can Stop Super Speeders'
Measure What We Drive (SB 1542)
Too often, outdated and overly broad legislative direction requires ODOT to commit funding to new projects with limited information on their costs and benefits, all at the expense of addressing maintenance and inadequate safety for current bridges, streets, and transit services.
With already-limited budgets, ODOT needs a performance-based, easy-to-understand accountability framework that assesses projects based on safety, infrastructure maintenance, climate impact, and more.
What's in the bill?
- Newly proposed projects get scored on projected outcomes, This scoring system will assess projects based on safety, climate impact, infrastructure maintenance, and cost effectivess.
- ODOT's project scoring will identify where they're falling short of their goals and can actively invest more in projects that will close the gap.
- ODOT publishes an annual report card that shows how Oregon is doing to meet our transportation goals and what steps are being taken to improve outcomes in future years.
Outcomes
Oregonians and legislators have transparency around transportation investments that improve safety, maintenance, and climate outcomes. The Oregon Transportation Commission, Legislature, and ODOT will have shared clarity and priorities on how projects meet the state's goals and ensure every investment is made in alignment with those objectives.
ODOT's debt service costs have surged by 400% since 2007, far outpacing growth in revenues.
Guardrails for Good Governance (SB 1543)
ODOT's debt service costs have surged by 400% since 2007, far outpacing growth in revenues. This is due to outdated policies that encourage ODOT to leverage maximum debt for projects without complete plans and financial analysis, oversight, or public accountability. Current and future bridge, seismic, preservation, and safety projects are already being defunded to cover ballooning debt costs.
What's in the bill?
- Create Oregon's first transportation debt management policy requiring ODOT and the OTC to balance today's cash flow needs with flexible funding for the future when making debt decisions.
- Provide decision-makers and the public with the information they need when they need it, to ensure that risks, opportunity costs, and alternative options are disclosed before the agency takes on new debt.
Outcomes
The OTC and Oregon Legislature will have more oversight and be able to better support ODOT with debt, financial, and project management.
Federal Legislation FSS-PDX Supports
Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Act
Sarah Debbink Langenkamp was a U.S. Diplomat and mother of two boys who had been evacuated from Ukraine in the summer of 2022 only to be killed weeks later while riding her bike home on a road in Bethesda, Maryland. Her death, following her evacuation from a war zone, occurring so near the nation's capital, has highlighted the worsening trend of traffic violence in the US and sparked calls for change.
This bill highlights the need to fill gaps in biking and walking networks and makes it easier for states and local governments to use Highway Safety Improvement Program (HISP) dollars as a "local match" to build safe bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure through HSIP and the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)
Read more and support Sarah's husband Dan Langenkamp, FSS, and the League of American Bicyclists urging the federal government to act.