[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 6, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H2895]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA CAUCUS

  (Mr. GARY MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GARY MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, just by looking around us 
at our homes, our offices, our roads and our local infrastructure, we 
can see that construction has an important impact on our lives. Members 
of Congress and the public need to better understand the tremendous 
contribution the construction industry makes to our Nation's economy.
  The value of construction put in place in the United States for the 
year 2000 was over $800 billion, about 8.25 percent of the U.S. gross 
domestic product.
  Because construction is such an important part of our everyday lives 
and to bring a pro-construction perspective to Congress, I believed it 
was necessary to start the Building a Better America Caucus. The 
purpose of the caucus is to educate Members of Congress and staff on 
building-related issues that impact our districts and our constituents, 
from affordable housing to airport construction, to increasing access 
to training in the construction trades.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support our Nation's builders by 
joining the Building a Better America Caucus.

                          ____________________