The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in response to the release of President Obama’s Infrastructure Investment Plan: “President Obama is right to continue to focus on the nation’s significant, and growing, infrastructure needs. As he noted in his State of the Union address, the condition of many of the nation’s aging bridges, highways and other essential infrastructure is unacceptably poor. And he is absolutely right to point out the need to identify additional sources of revenue for transportation investments, including from the private sector."
The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in response to the release of the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans Retirement Security Review Commission’s proposed plan for preserving, remediating and innovating multiemployer retirement plans: “The Commission’s plan represents a pragmatic, reasonable and – most importantly for taxpayers – self-sufficient approach to preserving and protecting nearly half a trillion dollars worth of multiemployer retirement plans."
The AGC Federal Contractors Conference will be held April 23 - 25 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Attendees will hear directly from a host of headquarters representatives from a number of federal agencies about their upcoming projects, including:
The Wyoming Senate this week, with a vote of 18-12, passed legislation to increase the state’s motor fuels tax by ten cents per gallon for highway improvements. The bill is expected to generate approximately $72 million annually in revenue for road maintenance and improvements in FY 2014, which begins July 1, 2013.
On Feb. 14, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) unveiled his plan to replace the March 1 implementation of $85 billion in indiscriminate, across-the-board spending cuts—called sequestration—with an even balance of spending cuts and tax revenues.
Members of the House and Senate recently formed a caucus in their respective bodies dedicated to addressing issues of importance to the Mississippi River Valley and Tributaries region. Among those issues, the caucus will seek to raise awareness of water resources issues, including the enactment of a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill. Go to AGC’s Legislative Action Center to urge your members of Congress to join the caucus and support water resources and infrastructure projects.
The Highway and Transportation Division meeting - March 8, 2013, during AGC’s 94th Annual Convention in Palm Springs, Calif. - will feature two outstanding speakers: Joseph C. Szabo, administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, will discuss the Obama Administration’s vision of the transportation future calling for increased investment in high speed rail.
Investment in transportation and other forms of infrastructure were given high profile in Washington this week. President Obama's State of the Union Address repeated past calls for transportation infrastructure investment with a new call for a $40 to $50 billion "Fix it First" initiative that would be "targeted to the most urgent upgrades, like the 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country."
Today, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held its first hearing of the 113th Congress focusing on the importance of infrastructure to the U.S. economy and examining the role played by the Federal Government in ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable infrastructure.
The State of the Union speech is designed to set up administration goals, identify legislative priorities, identify priorities for federal agencies and provide rhetorical guidance for congress. This year’s speech expounded on the president’s inaugural address, which talked about economic growth, equal pay, climate change, immigration, same sex marriage and preserving the social safety net. He also called for compromise, reasoned debate and accepting partial victories.