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Hackney makes pitch for road, bridge projects
Speaker presses Obama's team for N.C.'s needs
AP Photo
Speaker Joe Hackney appealed to Obama’s transition team to make road and bridge projects a priority.
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Published: December 19, 2008
WASHINGTON - N.C. Speaker of the House Joe Hackney lobbied President-elect Obama's transition team yesterday to make improvements on road and bridge projects a top priority in a multibillion dollar economic stimulus package.
Hackney, a Democrat and president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, joined top legislators from other states in making the pitch for construction projects during a meeting with Obama's economic advisers in Washington.
"They're essential. They going to have to be done anyway," Hackney said of the infrastructure projects in an interview.
"And from the point of view of the Obama administration and the Congress, what they want is immediate jobs," he said.
"These are programs where people can be put to work right away."
Obama's economic advisers and congressional Democrats are preparing a stimulus package for passage in January that could run more than $600 billion.
Obama has expressed support for financing infrastructure projects as a way to invigorate the economy, with a goal of creating 2.5 million jobs over the next two years. "We've got shovel-ready projects all across the country that governors and mayors are pleading to fund, and the minute we can get those investments to the state level, jobs are going to be created," Obama said at a news conference on Monday.
Hackney said that he and other state legislators want the stimulus package to also include an extension of unemployment benefits and more federal money for food stamps and Medicaid.
"We think it's important to help those in the greatest need right now," Hackney said.
■ Sean Mussenden can be reached at 202-662-7668 or smussenden@mediageneral.com.
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