Michaud Pushes for Buy American Provisions in Transportation Reauthorization

Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) urged members of the transportation reauthorization conference committees to include "Buy America" provisions within the Senate-passed bill (S 1813). A 47-member conference committee is working to iron out differences in Senate and House legislation that would reauthorize federal-aid programs for highways.

Currently, state and local governments can avoid Buy America provisions by splitting "infrastructure projects into separate contracts, complying with Buy America and receiving federal dollars for one portion, and using other sources for the non-Buy America compliant remainder of the project," he said. The provisions of the Senate bill will ensure that "taxpayer dollars are spent on American made components," he said. The current authorization is scheduled to expire June 30, 2012.

(See ITT's Online Archives 12021315 for summary of the bills).