What the House Bill 1656 could means for La Porte County roads

Laurie Wink, The News-Dispatch

lwink@thenewsdispatch.com

MICHIGAN CITY - Today's troubled economy and massive layoffs are being compared to the economic crisis of the Roosevelt administration in the 1930s: the Great Depression.

In the same way Roosevelt created emergency relief programs that put people to work, President Barack Obama looks to create jobs and economic relief with the $787 billion economic-stimulus package Congress passed Friday.

The stimulus plan will feed funds to states, allowing them to decide who will be eligible to receive benefits and how much they will receive.

So what does the plan mean for Indiana and for Michigan City? The details are not yet clear, although local politicians have weighed in on what they'd like to see happen.

State Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, co-authored House Bill 1656, a job stimulus bill that won overwhelming support in the Indiana House on Wednesday. The bill would funnel $1 billion to Indiana communities for new construction and reconstruction projects. Half the funding would go to counties and the other half directly to communities in amounts based on population.

Pelath said in a press release Friday the money would come from the state's share of the federal stimulus package, as well as Major Moves.

Communities will decide how funding will be used to put people to work for various infrastructure projects: roads, bridges, sidewalks.

"These are projects of a size and scope that can get some people back to work right away," Pelath said. "When drafting parts of the bill, I also included preferences to make sure these projects are built by Hoosier workers using Hoosier goods and materials, particularly Hoosier steel."

HB 1656 would require 90 percent of workers hired for these projects to be Indiana residents, providing hope for some of the 9 percent of La Porte County residents who are unemployed. The bill also would provide grants to unemployed and underemployed workers so they can receive skills training.

"This is a jobs bill," Pelath said. "In a state with some of the highest unemployment in America, we must use the resources we possess to put Hoosiers to work and keep Indiana businesses alive."

Mayor Chuck Oberlie has sent a wish list to Congressman Joe Donnelly, D-Granger, of projects the city would like to pursue with stimulus funds depending on available funding. Oberlie said Donnelly offered to "shepherd our applications," and the mayor expects to add possible projects once the details are finalized.

The mayor listed projects in five categories: energy and environment; infrastructure; poverty work opportunity; crime and public safety; and arts and tourism.

Oberlie said the Indiana Department of Transportation already has prepared a bid schedule, so road funds could be made available quickly.