Posted on 08/07/2019 9:26:34 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, inspired by the plan to tear down the elevated portion of Interstate 81 in Syracuse, wants to rewrite federal rules for hiring workers on such big infrastructure projects.
If she succeeds, at least half of the workers hired for the $2 billion project for a new I-81 would have to come from Syracuse.
Hiring priority would be given to people who face barriers to employment, including veterans, ex-offenders and the chronically unemployed.
At least a third of contracts and subcontracts would go to small businesses, and at least 30 percent of the contracts would be reserved for businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans.
Gillibrand, D-N.Y., proposed mandating the changes this week through the “Build Local, Hire Local Act.” The bill instantly gained support from a cross-section of national transportation policy experts and at least one big-city mayor, Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles.
U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, is sponsoring the bill in the House.
(Excerpt) Read more at syracuse.com ...
During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan the government bought a lot of containers of lumber and plywood.
Most of the lumber came from eastern European sawmills. These sawmills all arranged to get grade stamps from the WCLIB(West Coast Lumber Inspection Bureau) out of Oregon.
The government RFQ stated the lumber had to be from a US grading agency. This was a way around that.
The wholesalers who sold the lumber to the government were owned by companies where a female either Asian or Native American were the principal owners. I personally know one of the guys who’s wife owned one of the companies. He started the company just so he could sell the government. His wife had nothing at all to do with anything. Just a figurehead. She was Asian American. He did all the buying and selling. These two companies probably sold 95% of the lumber going into those war zones.
Do you really thing this won't be the same thing? I can see hiring a local contractor, if they are qualified. But hiring the folks they mention? That's just going to be feather-bedding.
You’re jumping to conclusions. I said I support the general idea, Gillibrand is off on the details but hopefully PDJT can make sure the outcome is rational.
What conclusion? That gov’t directed construction draws crooks everywhere? I jumped to that years and years ago. Now I just shift my weight a bit to get there.
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