House passes WRDA

As part of negotiations to pass the legislation, the Senate will tackle funding for Flint, Michigan, water infrastructure improvements in the upcoming lame duck session of Congress. The bill also included US$1.1 billion to combat the Zika virus and sends US$500 million to Louisiana and other states recovering from natural disasters.

“It is unfortunate, though not surprising that a funding patch is all that could be accomplished by this Congress,” said Michael W. Johnson, NSSGA president and CEO. “This is why it is so important that people working in the aggregates industry register to vote and elect candidates to Congress who will do their jobs and pass appropriations bills instead of short term funding patches. We all know how America’s roads, highways and bridges crumbled as Congress passed short-term extensions for surface transportation funding for 10 years.”

Members of the House also passed the WRDA in the last major vote before the elections. WRDA was supported by a bipartisan vote of 399-25 and will move to a conference committee this fall. The House and the Senate versions differ in significant ways with multiple committees of jurisdiction so conferencing the two bills will involve many lawmakers.

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