Utility Infrastructure

Congress overwhelmingly passed and the President signed into law the AGC’s supported Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act. AGC successfully urged Congress to include in the WIIN Act the best provisions from the House and Senate Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) bills, passed earlier in September.

The Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works will hold a hearing concerning “the Federal Role in Keeping Water/Wastewater Infrastructure Affordable.” AGC submitted testimony for the record emphasizing support for several financing tools that would help contractors and their local government partners build the nation’s water/wastewater infrastructure. AGC called for increased appropriations to the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Funds (SRFs), enacting a long-term dedicated revenue stream for water/wastewater infrastructure (like a water trust fund), resurrecting the Build America bonds program, funding the new WIFIA program of direct federal loans and loan guarantees, and unlocking private capital by making private activity bonds for water and sewer exempt from the PAB volume cap. AGC and its coalition partners in the Water Infrastructure Network will continue to advocate for every method of increasing funding and financing for water/wastetwaer infrastructure.

Includes 13 Percent Increase in Federal Construction Accounts

On Feb. 9, President Obama released his $4.1 trillion budget for fiscal year 2017, which proposes $1.215 trillion in discretionary defense and non-defense spending in FY 2017 and $2.565 trillion in mandatory spending.  The budget, which stays within the discretionary spending limits set last November in the Bipartisan Budget Act, has been declared dead on arrival by Republican Congressional leaders.  For the first time in 41 years, the House and Senate budget committees will not hold hearings with the president’s budget director.

AGC’s 97th Annual Convention will be held March 9-11, 2016 in San Antonio, Texas. Please visit meetings.agc.org/convention for registration information. Below is a preview of the Utility Infrastructure, Federal & Heavy Construction, and Highway & Transportation Division meetings.