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House Republican Leadership & Progressive Democrats Unite Against Bill
The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the announcement today that the House Republican leadership will encourage its party members to vote against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill:
Action is needed before the current one-year extension of the FAST Act surface transportation law expires September 30. The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by the Senate over a month ago includes a record-breaking five-year surface transportation reauthorization and additional investments to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. The House of Representatives has yet to vote on the bill, as Speaker Pelosi holds it for leverage to pass upwards of a $3.5 trillion human infrastructure bill. Meanwhile, thousands of construction jobs and projects are on the line. Not only will further delay impede a wide variety of new projects from hitting the street to bid, but funding for ongoing construction projects is also in jeopardy. If the bipartisan infrastructure bill does not pass before September 30, the federal-aid highway and transit construction programs will expire, causing a slowdown and eventual end to federal payments to states for transportation construction projects already underway.
Â鶹´«Ã½ of America is installing a new billboard in the Pittsburgh area to call out Congressman Conor Lamb for voting to keep his constituents stuck in highway traffic. The billboard, which is located along one of the most congested commuter corridors in the Congressman’s district, includes a link for commuters to learn more about the Congressman’s vote.
Every State will See Benefits from this Historic Level of Investment
Set a Non-Binding Sept. 27 Deadline; Highway & Transit Programs Expire Sept. 30
On August 5, President Biden signed an Executive Order setting a new target to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles. The Executive Order also initiates development of long-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards. In conjunction with this Order, the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation will soon announce how they plan to counter regulatory action on efficiency and emissions standards developed by the previous administration. These announcements, along with increased consumer interest in electric vehicles, makes clear that Congress must seriously address the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. As more electric and fuel-efficient vehicles join the nation’s auto fleet each year, gas tax revenue, which provides the lion’s share of funding for building our nation’s highway and bridge infrastructure, will continue to decline.
On July 14, Â鶹´«Ã½ outlined its priorities for the bipartisan infrastructure package to the group of bipartisan senators who are drafting the legislation. In addition to significant investments in physical infrastructure, Â鶹´«Ã½ calls for investing in the construction workforce, streamlining the federal environmental review and permitting process, improving the construction supply chain, as well as ensuring provisions restricting the expansion of highway capacity are not included. Â鶹´«Ã½ and industry stakeholders continue to meet with the Senate offices working on this legislation to highlight construction industry priorities. The timing for when the legislation will be released and ultimately voted on continues to be unclear. However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said the Senate will push to vote on it before the chamber breaks for the August recess.
Each year the Â鶹´«Ã½ Education and Research Foundation offers undergraduate and graduate level scholarships to students enrolled in ABET or ACCE accredited construction management or construction related engineering programs. The application opened July 1, 2021 and closes November 1, 2021.