Support Construction Careers Demonstration Program

Recipient: Sen. Tim Johnson & Sen. Richard Shelby

Sen. Tim Johnson
Chair, Senate
Committee on
Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs
534 Dirksen Senate
Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Sen. Richard Shelby
Ranking Member,
Senate Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs
534 Dirksen Senate
Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Johnson
and Ranking Member Shelby:

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States, we write to thank you for your commitment to moving forward with a robust transportation reauthorization bill. A long-term reauthorization of the nation’s surface transportation programs presents a critical opportunity to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and transportation systems, while putting America back to work. As you put this legislation forward, The Leadership Conference strongly encourages the inclusion of the Construction Careers Demonstration Program for surface transportation construction projects.

The proposed Construction Careers Demonstration Project would help low-income people, minorities, women, veterans, and people with disabilities have better access to construction employment in the transportation sector; encourage hiring of these workers; and build more opportunities for quality apprenticeship training. This proposal draws from existing successes as pioneered by states and cities and can create access to middle-class jobs for workers who have historically been underrepresented in the transportation construction workforce. The Construction Careers Demonstration Project would address this need by providing inclusive benefits to workers, communities, contractors, and the construction industry as a whole.

We strongly encourage and request that the Construction Careers Demonstration program be a part of any infrastructure investment proposals that are considered in Congress. Moreover, we urge you, as the leadership of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, to include the Construction Careers Demonstration Program in the surface transportation reauthorization. Thank you for your consideration.

Wade Henderson
President & CEO

Nancy Zirkin
Executive Vice President