Congressman Chris Murphy today submitted a package of amendments to the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012 designed to ensure that more of the federal funds spent on this year’s transportation bill go to American products and American jobs. Murphy, the founder of the Congressional Buy American Caucus, has worked for years to close loopholes that allow American tax dollars to be sent to foreign companies, and to keep those taxpayer dollars here in Connecticut and the United States.
“One of the quickest ways we can jumpstart our economy is to make major investments in our transportation infrastructure,” said Murphy. “Our roads and bridges need work, and so do thousands of Connecticut workers. These amendments are designed to ensure that the taxpayer money being spent on infrastructure projects uses as much American raw materials and supports as many American jobs as possible.”
Below are summaries of Murphy’s proposed amendments:
American Iron and Steel for the Keystone XL Pipeline: Would prohibit authorization of the Keystone XL pipeline unless at least 75% of the iron and steel to be used in the U.S. portion of the pipeline is produced in North America. While Murphy opposes the pipeline project, he believes that if it moves forward it should use American materials.
American Jobs Impact Statement: Would require that solicitations for competitive proposals for a contract state that an agency may consider how the award of a contract will affect domestic employment. Would provide that a company may include a “Jobs Impact Statement” to highlight the amount of American Jobs they expect to create or retain with the award of a contract.
Buy American for Project Design Work: Requires that design work on federal-aid highway and transit projects cannot be performed through contracts with firms that are not based in the United States.
Buy American for Highway, Bridge, Transit and Rail : Would strengthen existing Buy American requirements for investments in highway, bridge, public transit, and rail infrastructure and equipment to ensure that all of the steel, iron, and manufactured goods used in these projects is produced in the United States. This would also apply Buy American requirements to rail infrastructure loans and loan guarantees. Finally, the amendment would require that Buy American requirements are applied in a manner that is consistent with international trade agreements.
A House debate on the American Energy and Infrastructure Act is expected this week.