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Date Posted: January 8 2010

House would move road money to Mich.

WASHINGTON D.C. – “Jobs for Main Street” was adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 17, which would push $847.5 million to Michigan to fund a higher level of road and bridge work.

The bill also contained an additional $42.1 million investment to Michigan’s state clean water revolving fund to support water infrastructure projects.

The overall economic investment measure spends $75 billion nationwide on transportation, construction, and support for states to retain police, firefighters and teachers. The measure now moves to the Senate for consideration.

“With 5.9 million long-term unemployed, extending unemployment benefits is absolutely essential to help unemployed workers weather this economic storm. But an extension of jobless benefits alone is insufficient,” said U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Southfield). “We must do more to help create jobs and get people back to work.”

The bill, said Teamsters President James Hoffa, “helps those who are the true victims of this recession – the men and women of the middle class. We have seen billions of taxpayer funds go to the fat cats on Wall Street over past year. It is past time that working Americans get the relief they so desperately need.”

Congressman Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek) sponsored a proposal, that was included in the final legislation, to waive state matching grants for federal highway money for states like Michigan “that have been hit especially hard by the economic crisis.”

Michigan’s inability to come up with money for a 20 percent match of available federal dollars for highway funding meant the state was looking at dropping some 200 highway repair programs from 2010 through 2014.  However, this legislation, if adopted by the Senate, would restore some of those jobs but is still seen as only a short-term funding fix for states like Michigan.

“Our road projects and the jobs that go with them just went through a near-death experience, but this legislation gives them new life,” said Schauer. “Without taking action, MDOT would have to start canceling road projects that could create thousands of construction jobs by next fall. This bill waives state matching funds in the medium-term, which will allow those projects to move forward so we can put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges.”

Congressman Schauer sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to take up his legislation to increase the federal share to 100% for states like Michigan that have been hit especially hard by the economic crisis. After working closely with House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members, the substance of Schauer’s bill was included in the Jobs for Main Street Act.

“Without the Jobs for Main Street Act, the Highway Trust Fund will decline, states such as Michigan will not be able to provide their 20 percent match, and we’ll stand to lose any economic progress we have made so far. The House acting on this bill helps assure that states’ surface transportation programs will be fully funded, that Highway Trust Fund revenues will be invested, job creation will go forward, and we will be gaining jobs rather than losing jobs,” said Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “I thank Rep. Schauer for his support on this important matter and will continue to work with him to bring good, solid, family-wage jobs to Michigan and the rest of the country.”