SHA Seeks Comments on Proposed Revision to SP Section 566
April 1, 2009
Please review the attached proposed revision of SP Section 566-Contrast Pavement Markings. Send your comments to Allen Jacobs with a copy to Brian Holmes. Comments are due by noon of April 13.
Register for the ARTBA Federal Issues Program & Fly In
April 1, 2009
Time is getting short, but it is not too late to register for the ARTBA Federal Issues Program and Legislative Fly In, which is scheduled for May 18-20 in Washington DC.
Information is as follows:
Event Brochure
Program of Events
Sponsorship Form
Registration can be done Online or by Printing/ Faxing Registration Form
For hotel (Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill) information, please go to: The Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.
For those of you who cannot attend this event, please consider purchasing an ARTBA Political Action Committee lottery ticket. The first prize is $10,000. You need not be present to win. Tickets are $200 (personal checks only, since it is federal) and may be obtained from
Brian Holmes.
Window to Apply for Diesel Retrofit Grants is Open
April 1, 2009
Unfortunately, it closes on April 24, so time is of the essence. MTBMA in partnership with the Washington Council of Governments is going to apply for a grant from EPA Region 3 for grant funds to retrofit off-road diesel-powered equipment used in construction or mining. As envisaged, all engine manufacturers (John Deere, Volvo, Caterpillar, and Cummins) would perform the retrofits (which include exhaust controls, engine upgrades, use of ULSD, idle reduction technologies, aerodynamic technologies, low rolling resistance tires, and engine repowers) on off-road equipment owned by MTBMA members. Please contact Brian Holmes to indicate your interest in participating, whether you are an engine manufacturer, a contractor or an aggregate producer. Time is of the essence.
New I-9 Form Must Be Used by All Employers as of April 3
April 1, 2009
Employers will be required to use the New I-9 Form as of April 3, 2009. This form was originally introduced in a temporary ruling issued in December 2008 by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), but was put on a 60-day delay after the Obama administration took office. All employers must have newly hired employees complete a Form I-9 to verify their identity and authorization to work in the U.S. The new I-9 has revisions to the types of acceptable identity and employment authorization documents employers are able to accept from new hires. Note that employers are not allowed to accept expired identification to verify a new hire’s eligibility to work in the U.S.
The New I-9 Form and a handbook for employers completing the Form I-9 can be found at www.uscis.gov.
Work Zone Speed Camera Bill Needs Your Help
April 1, 2009
Maggie McIntosh, Chairman of the House Environmental Matters Committee is holding out for the speed camera bill to authorize their use by counties as well as in work zones. This is after the Senate passed the bill without allowing the counties to use them (except in school zones).
Please contact the members of the committee shown below by email with the following message, which you may write in your own words-including any work zone fatalities or injuries your company has experienced:
We have lost people, who have died or been injured while they were just doing their jobs.
These deaths and injuries are avoidable.
Please vote for the speed cameras in work zones bill (HB 313 or SB 277).
Environmental Matters Committee (ENV)
Room 251, House Office Building, Annapolis, MD 21401-1912
(410-841-3990 Annapolis/Baltimore or 301-858-3990 Washington, D.C.)
Chair: Maggie McIntosh
Vice Chair: James E. Malone, Jr.
Saqib Ali Saqib
Tom Hucker
Pamela G. Beidle
Stephen W. Lafferty
Elizabeth Bobo
Doyle L. Niemann
Rudolph C. Cane
H. Wayne Norman
Alfred C. Carr, Jr.
Anthony J. O’Donnell
Virginia P. Clagett
Andrew A. Serafini
Barbara A. Frush
Tanya T. Shewell
Cheryl D. Glenn
Richard A. Sossi
Anne Healey
Dana M. Stein
Marvin E. Holmes, Jr.
Paul S. Stull
Michael H. Weir, Jr.
Class Date: April 1, 2009
April 1, 2009
The following people passed the Certification Exam.
Bruce Laire
Roshan Fernando
Governemt Employees
Alonz Buckson
Bipin Patel
David Easterling
Deborah Everett
Dinesh Malla
Douglas Drake
Edward Sloan
Eric Thompson
James Braxton
John Foster
Kenneth Suggs
Kevin Williams
Leroy Moore
Lisa Goeller
Mukhtar Contractor
Patel Ashokkumar
Quintin Woods
Robert Pollack
Ronald Adcock
Ronald Duncan
Uttam Khadka
Vincent Pineda
Wanda Vass
William White
FHWA Administrator Nominated
April 7, 2009
The Obama administration has announced that former Arizona DOT head Victor Mendez will be appointed to be the next Administrator of FHWA. The appointment must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
SHA DBE/MBE Program Guidelines
April 7, 2009
The latest version of these guidelines can be accessed online at the MDOT website.
Latest Revisions to 2008 Specification Book
April 7, 2009
Please read the latest revisions to the Specification book. These changes are effective April 6, 2009.
Weekly Legislative Summary
April 7, 2009
The apprenticeship bill is still in play, but we hope the Senate Finance committee will NOT vote on the bill. The Speed Camera bill needs to be passed by the House-without substantive change. Final cuts to local jurisdiction construction funding from highway user revenues will be decided by a budget conference committee, which will start working this week. There are ten days left in the session. The summary dated April 3rd is available online.
