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Washington, D.C.— “The announcement last night by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to fully fund SAFETEA-LU is a significant victory for our nation,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, chief executive officer of ��ż��� of America (��ż���).

The agreement will fully fund SAFETEA-LU at authorized levels of $39.1 billion for the highway program, a $3.5 billion increase over the FY 2006 level. Transit is also fully funded at $8.97 billion, an increase of $470 million over the FY 2006 level.

“Highway and transit funding is important to every segment of the economy,” noted Sandherr. “The overwhelming support from members of the House and Senate shows the importance of the federal transportation funding to improving safety and reducing congestion in every state and every congressional district.”

The House is expected to vote on the measure on Wednesday and the Senate will take up the measure next week.

A major concern was that by not providing the full funding, state DOTs would have to cut back on their scheduled lettings for the coming year which would undermine efforts to meet growing transportation needs and impact jobs. “This is a major victory for the American public who will receive the benefits of having the user fees they pay invested in transportation,” commented Sandherr. “We appreciate the bipartisan leadership in the House and Senate for their efforts to secure this funding.”

��ż��� of America (��ż���) is the largest and oldest national construction trade association in the United States. ��ż��� represents more than 32,000 firms, including 7,000 of America’s leading general contractors, and over 11,000 specialty-contracting firms. More than 13,000 service providers and suppliers are associated with ��ż��� through a nationwide network of chapters. Visit the ��ż��� Web site at . ��ż��� members are "Building Your Quality of Life.”