The undersigned organizations representing millions of individually- and family-owned businesses strongly urge you to reject any measures that would raise taxes on Main Street employers as part of the upcoming reconciliation bill.  Individually- and family-owned businesses are the cornerstone of the American economy.  They represent nearly all businesses, they employ the vast majority of private sector workers, and they are the building block upon which innumerable communities across this country are built.

As the Finance Committee considers possible tax changes in connection with budget reconciliation legislation, the undersigned organizations urge you to retain the presentlaw percentage depletion tax deduction.  The percentage depletion deduction contributes significantly to the role U.S. mineral, coal, natural stone, aggregates, and independent oil and gas producers play in fostering continued American economic prosperity.  Maintaining a strong natural resources production sector and limiting our dependence on foreign production is critical to the growth of the U.S. economy. 

The Highway Materials Group (HMG) thanks you for your leadership and urges immediate passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) – H.R. 3684 – before the current one-year extension of the FAST Act expires on September 30th. We are appreciative of the robust levels IIJA provides our surface transportation network and the countless improvements it will provide our dilapidated infrastructure network.

On behalf of the 400 members of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) I am writing to share our strong support for H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), recently passed by the Senate with bipartisan support and urge its passage through the House as quickly as possible. IIJA is a historic, robust bipartisan infrastructure bill that will significantly enhance our crumbling infrastructure network, improve our national economy and global competitiveness, and provide hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs throughout the country.

The Opportunity America Jobs and Careers Coalition is a Washington-based business group focused on job training and workforce development. Members include employers and employer associations from a broad range of industries experiencing skills mismatches and worker shortages – IT, manufacturing, construction, retail and hospitality, among others. As representatives of business and industry, we see first-hand how the economy is changing in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Millions of Americans are still out of work. Many will need to reskill for a new job or a new industry.

The Highway Materials Group (HMG) thanks you for your leadership and urges immediate passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). We are appreciative of the robust levels IIJA provides our surface transportation network and the countless improvements it will provide our dilapidated infrastructure network. We welcome the funding levels provided by IIJA, including $109 billion in new spending on our surface transportation network, $16 billion for ports and waterway improvements, $55 billion for water infrastructure and other critical infrastructure improvements.

On behalf of the 400 members of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), I am writing to share our strong support for H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and urge the Senate to pass IIJA as quickly as possible. Your leadership and continued support of the G-22 has yielded a historic, robust bipartisan infrastructure bill that will significantly enhance our crumbling infrastructure network, improve our national economy and global competitiveness, and provide hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs throughout the country.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provided states and localities with $350 billion in relief funds and $10 billion in capital improvement assistance at a time of critical need.  The COVID-19 pandemic ripped a gaping hole in the budgets of many local governments, making this assistance crucial for many workers and businesses across the nation. However, the funds lack clear guidance to states and localities on their applicability.

We have significant concerns with policies and programs that tend to promote specific building materials. Engineers and construction professionals should make decisions about which materials to use to meet the codes, standards and specifications of the project. It is inappropriate for Congress to stack the deck for or against specific building materials: Congress should not pick winners and losers and should not promote policies or programs that prefer one building material over another. Mass timber is often promoted as a sustainable building material.

As your committee understands well, federal infrastructure investment at all levels is critical for our nation’s economic recovery and water infrastructure projects are no different, especially those vital projects covered by the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) chief reports via the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) reauthorizations. Robust federal investment in water infrastructure would put tens of thousands of Americans back to work and improve the daily lives of millions of Americans regarding navigable waterway projects, shoreline protection, flood mitigation and so much more.