Bart Stupak: “Madam Chairman, the Stupak-Visclosky amendment would require that all steel and iron used under the 21st Century Green…”

“Madam Chairman, the Stupak-Visclosky amendment would require that all steel and iron used under the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act be produced in the United States. Cheap imported steel is a danger to our children and is compromising their safety. In April, during the Congressional Steel Caucus hearing, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Assistant Commissioner David Baldwin testified that Customs and Border Protection does not conduct compliance tests to monitor the strength, durability, or hardness of the steel imported into the United States. Until the Federal Government can make sure imported steel from China and other countries meet safety and quality standards, we should not let any of it be used in our schools, or in any other buildings, as a matter of fact. We must make sure that the steel used in these projects meets the proper standards in the first place. The Stupak-Visclosky amendment would require educational agencies to use American steel and iron for modernization, renovation, or repair projects at a public school facility.”