The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) released the following statement on June 16, 2021, in response to the Senate Commerce Committee markup of the Surface Transportation Investment Act (STIA).
"The NRC is encouraged that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has introduced and marked up its bipartisan Surface Transportation Investment Act (STIA) of 2021. This bipartisan bill is the result of extensive stakeholder engagement and careful negotiation. The NRC supports the bill and hopes to see it eventually signed into law.
"In particular, the NRC is very pleased to see discretionary funding levels increase for vital rail grant programs, specifically FRA CRISI grants and USDOT INFRA and RAISE/BUILD/TIGER grants. The bill does contain some additional regulatory oversight and restrictive provisions, but overall it is a balanced and reasonable bill. Notably, the bill did not include certain amendments that contained more burdensome provisions for rail contracting.
"The NRC’s legislative team and Policy and Legislative Committee (PLC) will remain actively engaged on the bill as it proceeds through the legislative process."
“The NRC, aside from being the voice and representation of the railroad contracting industry, provides many great benefits to its members. One such benefit is our annual tuition assistance or Scholarship program. Since 2013, the NRC has offered this program to eligible children and grandchildren of NRC member companies. This past year, we were able to provide assistance to (6) students totaling $33,000. It is an honor to be a part of this and is truly gratifying to be able to invest in the futures of these promising students and to consistently hear how much they appreciate it.”
Track Division Manager
Railroad Construction Co.
