Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, was at President Obama's side in the White House Rose Garden this morning as he signed the HIRE (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment) Act into law.

The bill, which passed the Senate with a bipartisan vote of 68-29 yesterday, includes an extension of transportation programs and full funding for the Highway Trust Fund through the end of the year. The bill will provide California with a total of $4.6 billion through the end of the year for highways and transit programs. This is $1 billion more than California would have received if the programs had been funded under Continuing Resolutions.

Senator Boxer chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, and led the effort to include the transportation extension and funding in the bill that garnered broad bipartisan support.

Senator Boxer said, "I was so pleased to stand with President Obama as he signed the HIRE Act into law. This is a good day for workers and small businesses across America. A million American workers - including 100,000 in California - will know their jobs are protected because of this bill, and businesses across this nation have new incentives to add jobs as the economy recovers."

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