Norton's First Stimulus Hearing Stress Job Training, Benefits for DC, & Accountability (2/11/09)
Norton's First Stimulus Hearing Stresses Job Training, Benefits for D.C., and Accountability
February 11, 2009
Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, held the first oversight hearing on billions of dollars in the stimulus bill under her subcommittee's jurisdiction in the first of what she promises will be frequent hearings to assure that the GSA funds simultaneously provide jobs, broadly stimulate the economy, and meet the existing infrastructure responsibilities of the federal government.
Because the District has a large federal presence as the nation's capital, the city is likely to get an extra share of jobs for federal infrastructure work, which will be available to D.C. residents. She warned that, unlike the other necessary work funded in the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is largely delegated to states and localities, the GSA section provides funds for federal facilities for which the federal government alone is responsible and accountable. "That means our subcommittee has a uniquely important oversight responsibility," Norton said.
She also described her amendment for pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships for training to assure that minorities and women are able to use this "once-in-a-life-time opportunity to get a foothold in the high-paying construction sector."
Norton took on the complaints of some members of the House and the Senate about the emphasis in the energy conservation requirements in the GSA provisions by eliciting testimony from witnesses that demonstrated significant savings immediately. She quoted President Obama, who often refers to the savings from repairs that stress greening. At his Monday prime-time address and press conference, the President said, "we are saving taxpayers when it comes to federal buildings potentially $2 billion... we're reducing our dependence on foreign oil in the Middle East. Why wouldn't we want to make that kind of investment?"
Norton's full opening statement is available at https://transportation.house.gov.