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Rowan’s state legislators will have authority over a range of topics — from energy policy to unemployment insurance — following a number of committee assignments this week by leaders in the N.C. General Assembly. Leaders in the N.C. General Assembly announced interim committee assignments this week. The interim committees are mostly only used while the state legislature isn’t in… Read more »

The $305 billion, five-year transportation bill heading to President Barack Obama after clearing the U.S. Senate and House this week includes provisions submitted by U.S. Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., to boost projects in North Carolina. Passage of the bill — with broad bipartisan support — also served to further highlight divisions within the GOP as most… Read more »

WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today released the following statement regarding her vote against the conference report for a five-year surface transportation package costing more than $300 billion that also includes language to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank: “This legislation does not address the growing gap between the Highway Trust Fund’s revenues and expenses, instead… Read more »

Congress, the Pentagon and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have been clamoring for years that increased competition is the most effective way to reduce wasteful defense spending. Yet the practice of awarding contracts on a sole source basis is pervasive throughout the Defense Department.  In fact, about half of the $3 trillion the department expects to spend during… Read more »

With Congress on an August recess, U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-5, on Thursday met with County Commissioners Chairman Greg Edds to discuss ongoing projects and funding needs in Rowan. Among the topics discussed were education, a runway extension at the Rowan County Airport and various economic development projects across the area, according to Foxx. “During this August recess, I’m… Read more »

Even as a House committee gave it a procedural go-ahead, a funding bill that contains several provisions sought by the trucking industry would likely face a veto, the White House said Monday. The annual appropriations package for the Transportation and the Housing departments (HR 2577), also known as the T-HUD bill, includes policy riders that would extend a suspension of the restart… Read more »

Members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation sent a letter Thursday to the head of the Federal Aviation Administration asking the agency to speed up allocating funds for a new control tower at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The FAA is planning to open the new tower – which will be much taller and able to see all of the airport’s runways more effectively – in… Read more »

WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., has introduced legislation to stretch the limited funds available to the Highway Trust Fund by exempting it from the Davis-Bacon Act’s outdated, wasteful labor requirements for federal-aid highway and public transportation projects. “With Highway Trust Fund deficits expected to hit $157 billion by 2024, it makes sense to exempt the fund from… Read more »

If you want a lesson in bipartisanship, check out the transportation committees in both the House and the Senate over the last several years. Read more »

Yesterday, the House passed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 (WRRDA) by a vote of 417 – 3. This bipartisan legislation will reform the way our country builds and maintains crucial ports and waterways while cutting federal red tape, increasing fiscal responsibility, and reducing the need for bureaucratic involvement. WRRDA will improve important transportation… Read more »