U.S. Rep.

Jason Altmire, D-4th, on Thursday helped introduce the Invest in American Jobs Act of 2011.Altmire joined other fellow members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in touting the measure they said would ensure that products used to construct projects across the country are made in the United States.“I can think of no better way to put American citizens back to work,” Altmire said, “than creating good-paying construction jobs, improving America’s roadways to allow the transportation of goods, and supporting our manufacturers and suppliers right here at home.”The Invest in American Jobs Act of 2011 would:n Cover highways, bridges, public transit systems, railways and aviation infrastructure projects.n Require federal agencies to justify any proposed waiver of the “Buy America” requirements and requires public comment on any proposed waiver before taking effect.———U.S. Sens.

Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and

Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., announced Wednesday the bipartisan Earmark Elimination Act of 2011.This measure would build on the temporary moratorium on earmarks scheduled to expire at the end of 2012 and would permanently ban earmarks from the legislative process.The legislation would:• Define earmarks as any congressionally directed spending item, limited tax benefit or limited tariff benefit.• Create a point of order against any legislation containing an earmark. That would only apply to the actual earmark, not the entire bill.• Require a two-thirds vote to waive the point of order.