Ohio general contractor Brian Burgett recently told members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to recommend the economic stimulus activities that would have an immediate positive impact on economic activity. The President and CEO of the Kokosing Construction Co. of Fredericktown, Ohio, testified on behalf of the Associated General Contractors of America.

“An infusion of federal infrastructure funding would have a direct stimulus effect by putting more contractors and their employees back to work,” said Burgett. “We have excess capacity at Kokosing and throughout the construction industry. Federal investments will create jobs in the Midwest and throughout the country. Additional public infrastructure projects will allow our industry to maintain our work force and necessitate hiring more workers. It will allow us to purchase equipment and preserve manufacturing jobs.”

Burgett noted that state and local budgets have declined significantly and hampered the ability of those governments to borrow short term, delaying or eliminating various infrastructure improvement projects and forcing contractors and their suppliers to reduce their work force. Burgett also noted that under current conditions, companies will be forced to trim plans for expansion or investment in equipment, leading to a broader negative impact on the economy. A complete copy of Burgett's remarks and prepared testimony are available atwww.agc.org.