The U.S. House has received a bipartisan resolution supporting National Public Works Week. The proposal, sponsored by Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig and co-sponsored by Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), urges Americans to “pay tribute” to public works professionals and to “recognize the substantial contributions they make to protecting our national health, safety, and quality of life.”
“National Public Works Week spotlights those who ensure our clean water is running, our waste is collected, and our roads are safely traveled – without fanfare,” said APWA President Keith Pugh, PE, PWLF. “This House resolution is important to our members, as are the dozens of proclamations for #NPWW that are being issued throughout the country.”
For the first time, this House resolution mentions those who play special roles during natural disasters. “Whereas public works emergency responders are first to arrive and last to leave a natural disaster area or incident scene,” the document says. APWA’s board of directors approved the first responder logo in 2017 to identify public works personnel and acknowledge their federally mandated role as first responders.
“Minnesota’s public works professionals show up every day – ready to work hard to maintain and improve the critical infrastructure that keeps our communities moving forward. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution to celebrate their dedicated work,” said Rep. Craig. H.R. 422 has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. National Public Works Week is May 21-27.