More than 270 amendments to a $325 highway bill titled the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 are being voted on this week by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The amendment to Sec. 1431, “Use of Durable, Resilient, and Sustainable Materials and Practices,” offered by Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), includes the addition of the language “geosynthetic materials” to the bill, and was passed last night with bi-partisan support. This is a direct result of efforts by the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), a division of ATA, including meetings, letters of support and facility visits.

GMA and its allies will be working to support the geosynthetic language in the U.S. Senate and during the congressional conference for the highway bill.