Rebuild America Jobs Act

Bill: 112-s-1769
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2011-10-31 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Building construction
Buy American requirements
Caribbean area
Dams and canals
Electric power generation and transmission
Employee hiring
Employment and training programs
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Forests, forestry, trees
Government corporations and government-sponsored enterprises
Government lending and loan guarantees
Income tax exclusion
Income tax rates
Inflation and prices
Infrastructure development
Manufacturing
Marine and inland water transportation
Metals
Minority and disadvantaged businesses
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
Navigation, waterways, harbors
Public contracts and procurement
Public transit
Public-private cooperation
Puerto Rico
Railroads
Roads and highways
Rural conditions and development
Securities
Solid waste and recycling
Transportation programs funding
U.S. territories and protectorates
User charges and fees
Wages and earnings
Water quality
Water use and supply
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary:
action_date: 2011-10-31
text: 
Rebuild America Jobs Act - Prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in such project are produced in the United States (Buy American).
 
Waives such prohibition in cases where: (1) the prohibition would be inconsistent with the public interest; (2) iron, steel, and the relevant manufactured goods are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities of a satisfactory quality; or (3) inclusion of iron, steel, and manufactured goods produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25%.
 
Requires all laborers and mechanics employed on federally-assisted projects to be paid wages at the locally prevailing rates (Davis-Bacon Act).
 
Makes specified funds available to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) for: (1) grants-in-aid for airport planning and development and noise compatibility planning projects under the airport improvement program (AIP); (2) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Next Generation air traffic control system advancements; (3) highway and bridge restoration, repair, and construction projects and for passenger and freight rail transportation and port infrastructure projects; (4) grants for high-speed rail projects, capital investment grants for intercity passenger rail service, and grants to reduce congestion on intercity rail passenger transportation; (5) capital grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); (6) transit capital assistance grants; (7) capital projects for existing fixed guideway system modernization, replacement and repair of buses and bus-related equipment, and construction of bus-related facilities; and (8) discretionary capital investment grants for surface transportation infrastructure.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to establish standards under which contracts for construction projects contain requirements for the local hiring of individuals to perform construction work under such contracts.
 
Requires projects to comply with Buy American requirements.
 
Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development - Establishes the American Infrastructure Financing Authority (AIFA) as a wholly-owned government corporation to make direct loans and loan guarantees to facilitate transportation, water, or energy infrastructure projects. Requires infrastructure projects assisted under this Act to have costs that are reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $100 million ($25 million for rural infrastructure projects). 
 
Sets forth special requirements for infrastructure projects in rural areas. Requires the AIFA Chief Lending Officer to establish: (1) an Office of Rural Assistance to provide technical assistance in the development and financing of rural infrastructure projects, and (2) a Center for Excellence to provide such assistance to public sector borrowers for the same purpose.
 
Establishes an Office of Special Inspector General to audit and investigate the business activities of AIFA.
 
Makes private projects for which no public benefit is created ineligible for financial assistance. Sets forth terms for loans or loan guarantees for infrastructure projects.
 
Requires the Chief Executive Officer of AIFA to establish and collect fees sufficient to cover AIFA administrative costs.
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2012 the exemption from the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for certain tax-exempt private activity bonds.
 
Imposes on individual taxpayers in taxable years beginning after 2012 an additional tax equal to 0.7% of so much of their modified adjusted gross income as exceeds $1 million. Provides for an inflation adjustment to the $1 million threshold amount for taxable years beginning after 2013.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-03
text: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure under the order of 11/2/2011, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, was rejected in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 51 - 49. Record Vote Number: 195. (consideration: CR S7113)
action_date: 2011-11-03
text: Motion to proceed to measure considered in Senate. (consideration: CR S7095-7113)
action_date: 2011-11-02
text: Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the bill withdrawn by unanimous consent in Senate.
action_date: 2011-11-02
text: Motion to proceed to measure considered in Senate. (consideration: CR S7021-7058)
action_date: 2011-11-01
text: Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the bill presented in Senate. (consideration: CR S7009; text: CR S7009)
action_date: 2011-11-01
text: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (consideration: CR S7009-7010)
action_date: 2011-11-01
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 213.
action_date: 2011-10-31
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2011-10-31
text: Introduced in Senate