Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., on April 22, 2015, introduced the Invest in American Jobs Act of 2015 (S. 1043). The bill would require federally funded transportation projects to use USA-made steel, iron and manufactured goods wherever possible.
What the bill would do
“Buy America” requirements already applied to key parts of highway and water infrastructure, but many projects were not covered. The bill would bring all major projects overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation under Buy America rules. Federally funded transit and Federal Aviation Administration projects would eventually have to meet a 100% Buy America standard wherever feasible.
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
What supporters said
“When we make things in America, we grow the middle class in America,” Merkley said. “Ensuring that American taxpayer dollars go to support American businesses and workers wherever possible is just common sense.”
Baldwin said the bill would give manufacturing workers and businesses, “like our Wisconsin foundries, a fair shot by requiring the use of American-made materials in our nation’s transportation projects.”
Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, praised the bill for “ensuring that our tax dollars utilized for infrastructure investment stay here at home.”
The bill did not receive a vote in the 114th Congress. Later that year, Sen. Chris Murphy introduced a separate Buy American bill aimed at the Pentagon (our coverage).
Source & credit
Source: Office of Sen. Jeff Merkley: “Merkley, Baldwin Introduce Bill to Require Federal Transportation Projects to Use Made-in-America Materials”, April 22, 2015.
Bill text: GovInfo: S. 1043 (IS), Invest in American Jobs Act of 2015.