Dupage Policy Journal

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) has called on Speaker of the House John Boehner to consider legislation aimed at providing the certainty that businesses and state governments, such as Illinois, need to plan critical infrastructure projects and create good paying jobs.

“While the House of Representatives sits on a long-term transportation bill passed by the Senate this summer, states and businesses lack the certainty and resources to move forward on critical infrastructure projects (that) will make us more competitive in the global economy and create thousands of jobs in the process," Durbin said. "American workers cannot wait. American businesses cannot wait. It is time for the House to follow the Senate’s lead and act.”

Congress has passed 34 stop-gap measures to keep the country’s major transportation and infrastructure programs from shutting down since the previous long-term transportation bill expired in 2009,

Following a 2008 fatal train crash in California, Congress mandated commuter rail carriers and Class I railroads install PTC systems on tracks that carry passengers or toxic-by-inhalation materials. Durbin has long pushed for the implementation of such a critical safety tool, which would help commuter rail carriers such as Metra upgrade their safety systems and increase the efficiency of their rail lines.