NRMCA’s Government Affairs Chairman Highlights Urgency for Highway Funding

Last week, Senate Environment and Public Works Ranking Member Barbara Boxer (D-CA) hosted a press conference on the Capitol lawn urging participants of the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) to press members of Congress to pass a long-term, fully funded highway bill before the current measure expires on May 31. Also speaking at the press conference was Senate EPW Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK) who continued to state his top priority on the committee this year is to pass a fully-funded, multi-year transportation bill. Invited to join Boxer and Inhofe at the press conference were a host of industry representatives, including NRMCA, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Associated General Contractors, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Association Equipment Distributors and AFL-CIO. 

Speaking on behalf of NRMCA was Executive Committee Member and Government Affairs Chairman Robert Sells, president of Titan America, Mid-Atlantic Division. Sells also spoke to the need for a highway bill with full funding for the Highway Trust Fund which is the primary source of funding for federal, state and local highway projects. "Transportation is the lifeblood of our economy, directly corresponding to our standard of living," Sells said. "Infrastructure in our country is in serious need of repairs as major roads are reaching the end of their projected useful life and need to be renewed, repaired or replaced."

The press conference was held during the TCC Fly-In last week; NRMCA is a participating member. This year’s Fly-In had approximately 500 attendees who were in our nation’s capital to make the case to "Fix the Highway Trust Fund." During this time, NRMCA and its member companies in attendance also held separate meetings with members of Congress to discuss the impacts of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Hours’ of Service Rule on the ready mixed concrete industry.