ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs Michele Stanley issued the following statement after the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced its surface transportation reauthorization package, the INVEST in America Act after a 19-hour markup.

“With this markup we are one-step closer to finalizing a multi-year, surface transportation reauthorization bill before September 30 which will address the need to invest in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. NSSGA appreciates the efforts of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I) and Chairman DeFazio (OR) for advancing its INVEST in America Act, which would authorize $547 billion in surface transportation project funding over five years. We also applaud Ranking Member Graves (MO) and members on the committee for introducing amendments that would streamline federal permitting, reduce burdens on small business and make improvements to the bill that are supported by the aggregates industry.

“Most importantly, the bill would provide $343 billion for road, bridge and highway projects, including $32 billion in dedicated funds for much-needed bridge repair and reconstruction. We also support the committees work to include an additional $14.7 billion in contract authority from the highway account that will help state Departments of Transportation recover from revenue shortfalls suffered during the pandemic. We also applaud Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ) and Rep. Troy Balderson (OH) for their work to include the ROCKS Act into the underlying bill. This is a critical addition for the aggregates industry, that will ensure communities are able to access construction materials leading to improved environmental outcomes and better utilization of taxpayer dollars to build infrastructure.

“NSSGA urges House leadership to continue the infrastructure momentum in a bipartisan manner and pass this bill with all stakeholders participating. Infrastructure legislation is traditionally an opportunity for Congress to come together and we hope upcoming floor activity on the INVEST in America Act will continue that precedent.” 

CONTACT: Kerry Lynch 
(703) 526-1072, klynch@nssga.org