This has been one of the most productive Senate sessions in recent memory. The Senate already this year passed the Bankruptcy bill, the Class Action Reform bill and, in the final week of July, we passed both the Energy bill and the Highway bill. These legislative victories mean jobs, economic growth, safety and security for Missourians.

There’s nothing more important to creating jobs in Missouri than making certain our people can get to work. That’s why I am very pleased we were able to pass the Highway bill. It’s no secret that we’ve got a problem with transportation infrastructure in Missouri. Our roads and bridges rank among the worst in the country. Everybody I talk to in Missouri knows we have a problem because they have to drive on the roads. For Missourians, better transportation infrastructure means getting where they need to go, safely and on time, so they can make the country run.

The Highway bill, which will be signed into law soon, represents a big victory for Missouri’s transportation infrastructure. The $286.4 billion bill will result in hundreds of millions of dollars going to Missouri to help meet our transportation needs. I’m especially pleased we were able to add a $15 billion Highway Infrastructure Bonds package that I sponsored with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon. As a result, Missouri will get at least $300 million more for roads and bridges than we otherwise would have received.

Missouri can use the tax-exempt bonds to build roads and bridges through public-private partnerships. These bonds are commonly used by states and localities to finance a wide variety of public infrastructure needs such as airports and water facilities, but they have never been used for roads and bridges. For the first time ever, our plan allows $15 billion to be used in this way for roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.

For every $1 billion invested in federal highway and transit infrastructure, an estimated 47,500 jobs are created. And for every dollar invested in federal transportation infrastructure, an estimated $5.70 in economic activity is generated. This proposal will help create and sustain 14,000 jobs in Missouri.

In addition to funding, I’m also pleased we were able to pass three additional measures to the Highway bill to improve safety, create and sustain jobs in Kansas City and help minority small businesses.

I worked with Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop A in Lee’s Summit to pass an amendment addressing the increasing number of accidents involving first responder vehicles.

In 2003, 194 people lost their lives in crashes involving emergency vehicles, including 141 lives lost in crashes involving police vehicles, 29 lives lost in those involving ambulances and 24 lives lost in crashes involving fire trucks. Vehicle-related incidents are the No. 1 cause of police officer injuries and the second-leading cause of deaths. Currently, only 27 states have Pass with Care or move-over laws governing how motorists should react when they encounter a police or emergency vehicle.

The amendment instructs the Secretary of Transportation to look at various state and local laws that deal with the safety of first responder vehicles and develop model legislation that states could adopt to help protect their police officers and emergency workers. The Transportation Secretary would also be authorized to engage in a public outreach campaign to raise awareness about first responder safety.

To further promote transportation safety, we added a Share the Road amendment that seeks to prevent motorcycle fatalities by directing the Secretary of Transportation to work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to provide states with model language to be included in their drivers training materials.

My amendment will help states find the most effective way to help prevent accidents involving motorcycles. It also creates a public awareness campaign to help motorists safely share the road with motorcyclists.

I was also pleased to sponsor an amendment to open up car pool lanes to larger hybrid vehicles such as the Ford Escape Hybrid which we build in Kansas City. Car pool lanes, or High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, are located in nineteen states. These special lanes run parallel to some of the nation’s most congested highways and are traditionally reserved for vehicles with two or more passengers and some smaller hybrid vehicles.

Under our amendment, people who drive hybrid, including the Escape Hybrid, would not be excluded from these lanes regardless of the number of passengers. The amendment will help create jobs and sustain the 5,500 jobs at the Ford plant in Kansas City.

Additionally, I sponsored an amendment with U.S. Senator Chris Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, to make it easier for minority-owned small business owners to compete for state and local highway projects that receive federal funding.

The amendment would make it the responsibility of the Department of Transportation to notify each state and local government it awards federal highway dollars to that federally certified 8(a) minority-owned small business no longer have to go through the time consuming and expensive process of recertifying as minority contractors at the state and local levels if they want to compete for federal road-building projects.

Missourians can do a lot on their own in their families, communities, local schools and small businesses. But one thing they can not do is build roads and bridges. That job is the responsibility of the government. We are fulfilling that responsibility by passing a pro-growth, pro-jobs highway bill for our people.

Senator Jim Talent (R-Mo.) was elected to serve Missouri in the U.S. Senate in November 2002. Previously he served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1993-2001) and the Missouri House (1985-1992).