A proposed $287 billion highway reauthorization bill is receiving kudos from equipment manufacturers and distributors.
The U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee’s leadership released the five-year reauthorization bill July 29, noted a news release from the Associated Equipment Distributors.
“The America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act is a great step to modernizing the United States’
AED president and CEO Brian P. McGuire
decaying roads and bridges while creating sustained economic growth and job creation, improving our nation’s safety and security, and enhancing quality of life for all Americans,” AED president and CEO Brian P. McGuire said in the release. “Construction equipment dealers are eager to provide the machinery to rebuild the country and AED urges support for the legislation.”
Meanwhile, Association of Equipment Manufacturers president Dennis Slater said in a news release that the act would be good for equipment manufacturers and communities across the nation.
“Our industry depends on the strength of our nation’s infrastructure to transport the equipment we make across the country and around the world,” Slater said. “That same equipment is also critical in the construction and maintenance of nearly all aspects of our nation’s infrastructure network.”
The bill includes $259 billion to repair and maintain the country’s bridges and roads. The investment increases by 27 percent the amount of the current highway bill that expires Sept. 30, 2020.
The committee voted 21-0 to endorse on July 30, the Washington Post reported. The bill, which acknowledges climate change, also received a supportive tweet from President Donald Trump.
However, as an Aug. 1 Wired.com article noted, the bill has a long way to go before becoming law, including passing through the House. Lawmakers also have to figure where the money will come from.
The AEM’s Slater said his organization will “work with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to secure a comprehensive infrastructure package that provides adequate, sustainable, long-term funding to modernize and improve our nation’s entire infrastructure portfolio.”
The AED represents about 600 companies with combined annual sales of over $60 billion in the U.S. and Canada. The AEM’s more than 1,000 member companies contribute about $159 billion to the U.S. economy each year.
For more information, visit http://aednet.org.