[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 116 (Thursday, July 23, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H5409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HIGHWAY TRUST FUND REFORM ACT

  (Ms. FOXX asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, last week the House passed legislation that 
would fund the Nation's highway and transit programs through December 
18.
  Transportation and infrastructure are key components of economic 
development efforts in North Carolina, and this fiscally responsible 
bill keeps important road and bridge projects going in the short term 
while discussions continue on a longer term bill.
  Earlier this year I introduced legislation to help the Federal 
Government responsibly manage taxpayer money and stretch the limited 
funds available to the highway trust fund by exempting it from the 
Davis-Bacon Act's outdated, wasteful labor requirements for Federal-aid 
highway and public transportation projects.
  The Davis-Bacon Act was passed in 1931 and requires Federal 
contractors and subcontractors to pay the local prevailing wage for 
construction projects on which the Federal Government is a party.
  For decades, it has been driving up the cost of Federal highway 
projects by mandating artificially high wages. It is time to get 
America back on track by spending wisely, not carelessly.

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