On the recordJune 9, 2015
As the economy continues to recover, 8.5 million Americans are still unemployed. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of local transportation agencies to spur job creation in their local communities is unnecessarily obstructed by restrictive Department of Transportation policies. Limiting the ability of local officials to contribute to targeted job growth is detrimental to local economies across the United States, especially in communities where many remain jobless. Local hiring and procurement policies have helped to provide quality job opportunities to residents in communities hardest hit by the economic downturn. My local hire amendment is designed to help spur local job creation through federally funded transportation projects nationally. My amendment would prevent the Department of Transportation from issuing regulations that prevent local hiring. Specifically, it would limit the regulations and burdens placed on local governmental agencies, preserve the competition and cost-effectiveness mandates in our current rules that govern Federal transit grants, and give local transportation agencies the necessary flexibility to apply geographically targeted preferences when making hiring decisions for federally funded transit and highway projects. It is important to note that this local hire amendment does not require transportation agencies to implement local hiring policies.…
