U.S. HOUSE PASSES STIMULUS PACKAGE TO BOOST CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY (02/04/2009)
The U.S. House of Representatives Jan. 28 approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1) by a 244-188 margin. The legislation contains more than $163 billion in infrastructure funding for the construction of federal buildings, schools, highways, bridges, workforce development and additional programs.
ABC expressed support for the construction infrastructure spending in the bill in a Jan. 28 letter to Congress.
“With hundreds of shovel-ready projects poised to begin, but lacking necessary funding to get under way, it’s time to make a significant investment in our nation’s infrastructure,” the letter stated. “Funding these projects would immediately create the new jobs we need to get people back to work and help prevent further layoffs.
“We do want to point out our concern that the legislation’s vast expansion of Davis-Bacon Act requirements will unnecessarily inflate the price tag of this bill, limiting the number of jobs created and projects that can be completed,” the letter continued. “In a time when taxpayers throughout the country are being forced to tighten their belts, it is disappointing to see this bill fail to exercise the same type of fiscal discipline.”
The bill is now being considered in the Senate.
