Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today released the following statement following the Senate's passage of the jobs package, which passed through the U.S. Senate this morning with a bipartisan vote of 70 to 28. The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE Act) includes an extension of the transportation authorization bill, SAFETEA-LU through December 31, 2010 which will provide states and localities with the certainty they need to make decisions on projects and keep workers on the job. In addition, the HIRE Act replenishes the Highway Trust Fund with $20 billion from the General Fund.
Senator Boxer said, "Today, 70 Senators voted "aye" and recognized the need to put jobs over politics. The infrastructure measures in this bill are going to save or create well over a million jobs."
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