WASHINGTON—The Alliance of American Manufacturing has endorsed a new Senate bill that, if passed, would strengthen Buy America provisions in federal infrastructure projects.
S. 2737, the “Invest in American Jobs Act,” was introduced Aug. 5 by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Among other things, the bill would:
• Increase the domestic content requirements for public transportation and aviation projects from 60 to 100 percent over five years;
• Prevent segmentation of projects to circumvent Buy America standards;
• Require all DOT agencies to review nationwide waivers of Buy America standards, including periods for public comment; and
• Apply Buy America standards to non-DOT projects, including projects from the Economic Development Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
AAM President Scott Paul congratulated Sen. Brown on introducing S. 2737. “Congress knows that voters want their tax dollars spent on American-made goods for infrastructure investment wherever possible,” Paul said. “This Buy America bill is good, common-sense legislation.”