May 21, 2014
By Neal Tepel
Washington, DC – Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) and most other trade unions applauded the progress of a six-year highway and infrastructure funding bill that passed a Senate committee vote and moved on to the full Senate. Trade unions and municipalities are hoping this important bill providing necessary funds for highway and bridge repair will quickly pass through the full U.S. Senate.
So far the legislation has been unanimously approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. S. 2322, the MAP-21 Reauthorization Act, is co-sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who chairs the committee.
Boxer said the committee's vote "sends a powerful signal to our colleagues and to our nation that we are serious about addressing the looming funding crisis in the Highway Trust Fund. I am proud of this strong, bipartisan bill that helps provide the certainty that all of our states and cities need to move forward with critical infrastructure and transportation projects."
The present Highway Trust Fund is projected to run out of funds this summer. Therefore its critical the road construction legislation, S. 2322, is passed by Congress.
"We are planning an aggressive effort that will zero in on the consequences of inaction," said Terry O'Sullivan, general president of LIUNA, in a statement after the committee passed the bill. "Our multimedia campaign will start with a significant investment in provocative, hard-hitting billboards, radio ads, online tools, events, and activities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan. Another short-term patch, simply duct-taping the roads and bridges we all rely on, must be off the table. To put the trust back in the highway trust fund, we must prevent further deterioration. For LIUNA, passage of a highway bill is about jobs, but, as with every American, it's about ensuring the safety and reliability of our transportation system," concluded O'Sullivan.
