Paul Mayo, Bob Adams testify in support of transportation funding plan
AGC members Paul Mayo of Flatiron Constructors and Bob Adams of Guy F. Atkinson Construction joined AGC lobbyist Duke Schaub in testifying before the House Transportation Committee last week in support of a comprehensive transportation funding package.
(Photo L-R: Bob Adams Paul Mayo and Duke Schaub testify before the House Transportation Committee)
The Senate previously passed a $14-billion transportation funding plan as well as several reform bills (click here for an excellent analysis by the Washington Research Council). The package is now before the House and the Transportation Committee held a hearing on the funding and spending plans.
Mayo cautioned that failure once again to pass a transportation plan could have dire consequences for the construction industry.
“With previous decisions to kick the can down the road there remained funded project backlog in the market system that the industry could continue to deliver” Mayo said. “This year that backlog is gone. Failure to pass a transportation package now will cause immediate and significant negative impacts to our industry loss of the best Washington jobs decreased economic activity and therefore tax revenues and will adversely impact citizens as they struggle with decreased quality of live that that comes with mobility restrictions.”
Adams noted the positive impacts of the plan for the industry. “This package will create thousands of good paying jobs throughout the state” he said. “Our contractors are ready to go; our crews are eager to get to work to improve our state’s infrastructure.” Schaub noted that some legislators have been using the phrase “Kids before Concrete” to indicate their support for addressing the state’s education funding shortfall before dealing with transportation.
“We’re here to provide you with the mantra of Concrete FOR Kids because if we can get our industry to work we can help solve your problems with the general fund and the operating budget” Shaub told the Committee. “Compromise is hard but we certainly hope you will all make that endeavor.”
To view the testimony by Mayo Adams and Schaub click here.