AASHTO commends passage of hiring incentives.
Press Release Summary:
By vote of 68 to 29, Senate has approved Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, which will extend authorizations for Highway and Transit Programs through end of calendar year. It will also provide $19.5 billion to Highway Trust Fund to keep it solvent into next year and restore $8.7 billion in highway contract authority to states that was rescinded at end of fiscal year 2009. John Horsley, executive director of ASHTO says it's a win for the economy, workers, and community.
Original Press Release:
AASHTO Commends Passage of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act Statement by John Horsley, AASHTO Executive Director
Hundreds of thousands of highway construction workers and state department of transportation employees from across the country are breathing a collective sigh of relief today now that the Senate has approved the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE), which keeps federal highway and transit programs operating through the end of the calendar year and extends the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.
"We are delighted that the House and the Senate have reached final agreement on this significant piece of legislation," said John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. "It's a win for the economy and a win for workers and the communities which will benefit from the transportation projects to be built across the country." (A video statement from Horsley is available at www.transportationtv.org)
By a vote of 68 to 29 the Senate approved HIRE (HR 2847), which will:
Extend authorizations for the Highway and Transit Programs through the end of the calendar year;
Provide $19.5 billion to the Highway Trust Fund to keep it solvent into next year; and
Restore in this fiscal year $8.7 billion in highway contract authority to the states that was rescinded at the end of fiscal year 2009.
A complete summary of the act's transportation provisions can be found on AASHTO's web site at downloads.transportation.org/hireact.pdf.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is the "Voice of Transportation" representing State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association serving as a catalyst for excellence in transportation.
