AASHTO Journal, 9 September 2011
President Barack Obama, addressing a joint session of Congress on Thursday evening, said he will submit to Capitol Hill Sept. 19 legislation to pump $447 billion into the struggling economy by expediting transportation projects, offering federal funding for school construction and teacher hiring, cutting payroll taxes for workers and employers, offering a tax credit to businesses that hire the long-term unemployed, and extending unemployment insurance benefits for those Americans out of work for six months or longer.Details on the transportation component of the bill, to be called the American Jobs Act, are to be unveiled over the next several days. The president did not offer dollar amounts for his envisioned transportation spending, but a White House fact sheet released Thursday indicates the administration will seek $50 billion for highways, transit, rail, and aviation. The bill would also include $10 billion to capitalize a national infrastructure bank.