This Week in the Capitol – April 13 | Associated Pennsylvania Constructors

Latham testifies before House Transportation Committee
APC Executive Vice President Bob Latham testified before the House Transportation Committee this week on the effects of using the Motor License Fund (MLF) to supplement the budget of the Pennsylvania State Police. During his testimony, Latham stressed that APC recognizes the importance of adequately funding the State Police but that the current system of using highway dollars to fund the State Police is broken and needs to be reformed. He mentioned that APC supports Senate Bill 121 (go here to view our past article) but maintains that APC’s position is to end all transfers unrelated to highway funding from the MLF as quickly as possible. To view a copy of APC’s testimony, go here.

Next up
In the ongoing parade of hearings in the State Capitol, Acting PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll is due to appear before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday to present the department’s budget requests to the Senate. You can view the hearing live starting at 1 p.m. by going here.

Work Zone Awareness Week Kicks Off
APC, PennDOT, the PA Turnpike, and the PA State Police joined together this week to kick off the beginning of Work Zone Awareness Week, which is scheduled for the week of April 17. In a joint press conference, APC’s Bob Latham soberly reminded motorists of how dangerous highway construction work can be. He remembered the 6 fallen workers who tragically lost their lives last month in Maryland after a vehicle speeding on the interstate lost control and entered a work zone. Latham reminded the media that the renewal of PA’s Automated Speed Enforcement in Work Zones Law is critical for providing additional safety mechanisms for highway workers and the general motoring public.