(STATEHOUSE) Feb. 10, 2009 - Rep. Woody Burton (R-Greenwood) and the Indiana House of Representatives did their part to give the Hoosier economy a boost Tuesday with the passage of House Bill 1656. The bill provides jobs for Hoosiers in a wide range of endeavors, allows local governments to improve streets, roads and highways in their areas, protects important Major Moves projects and gives unemployed Hoosiers educational opportunities than can brighten their futures. "House Bill 1656 still has many problems, but we are moving in the right direction," said Rep. Burton. "We need to create jobs for Indiana, which is why I chose to vote in support of this bill. "It's my hope that my colleagues over in the Senate will continue to improve with the progress we have made with this bill and in the end, have a truly successful piece of legislation that we can offer Hoosier families." The bill passed 88-11. Here is a brief recap of the bill's highlights: The Republican amendment protects Major Moves projects and their economic potential. -The Republican plan retains all existing funding for Major Moves projects, preserving funding for U.S. 31, the Hoosier Heartland Highway, Interstate 69 South, the Fort to Port project and dozens of other scheduled projects. The plan provides money for local road projects. -In fiscal years 2009 and 2010, municipalities and county governments would receive a total of $500 million for road construction, maintenance and repair from the newly established Local Road Special Projects Fund. -$250 million in federal highway funding would be placed in the fund from these existing state funds: Surface Transportation Fund, Bridge Fund Equity Bonus Fund. -$250 million in money generated through the federal stimulus bill would also be placed in the special projects fund. The plan creates a Community Infrastructure Assistance Program. -As the federal stimulus road dollars contain aggressive timeline restrictions, and the Special Projects Fund also contains timeline restrictions placing difficult challenges before local communities, the state would establish a $20 million Community Infrastructure Assistance Fund from unallocated stabilization fund monies to assist local units with technical and engineering expertise to qualify and utilize the federal stimulus money and the Special Project Fund. The plan creates Adult Workforce Retraining Grants. - Indiana residents who have lost their jobs in the past year due to reductions in the workforce would be eligible for the Adult Workforce Retraining Grants administered by the Department of Workforce Development. -Out-of-work Hoosiers would be eligible to receive a $3,000-per-year grant for two years to be used at any two- or four-year year institution of higher learning. The plan provides for higher-education construction. -Under the federal stimulus bill, Indiana will receive money from the Higher Education Modernization, Renovation and Repair Fund. House Republicans believe this money should be utilized immediately to put Hoosier tradesmen to work on needed higher-education projects. Rep. Burton encourages his constituents to contact him with questions or comments. Contact him by phone at 1-800-382-9841, e-mail to h58@iga.in.gov or write him at the Statehouse, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. -30-
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