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Washington, DC– The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act (H.R. 985), a bill introduced by Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) to allow the concrete masonry industry to conduct research, education, and promotion regarding their products.

“Because of the nature of concrete products and the difficulty of transporting them, concrete masonry businesses tend to be small, local, and deeply entwined in their communities,” said Congressman Guthrie, who spoke on the House floor to encourage members to support H.R. 985. “Often, these small businesses do not have the resources needed for research and development of safer and more durable products to use in building construction.”

H.R. 985 will allow the industry to create a commodity check-off program that would allow for nationwide cooperation and accelerated job growth in almost every congressional district. By allowing concrete block producers to pool their resources, manufacturers and the communities they serve will benefit from greater energy efficiency, increased safety, and additional marketing options.

“I want to thank the 247 cosponsors of H.R. 985, and I appreciate the strong bipartisan support from my colleagues for this important bill,” added Congressman Guthrie after the bill passed the House 355-38.

See below for the text of Congressman Guthrie’s remarks on the House floor.

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 985, the Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act of 2015, which I was proud to co-author with Congresswoman Kathy Castor.

“Because of the nature of concrete products and the difficulty of transporting them, concrete masonry businesses tend to be small, local, and deeply entwined in their communities – and virtually every congressional district is home to at least one. These small businesses do not have the resources needed for research and development of safer,more durable products to use in building construction.

“H.R.985 was developed with extensive constituent involvement and is before us today because of the widespread support of the industry in all corners of the country, . We wouldn’t be here today if not for their support and the bipartisan support of our 247 cosponsors.

“Two dozen similar industries have benefited from similar programs, which allow commodity industries to pool resources for research, education, and promotion of their non-branded products. You may be familiar with the “Got Milk?” and “Pork, the Other White Meat” campaigns – the result of commodity check-off programs. These programs, which are enormously helpful to individual industries, require Congressional approval.

“H.R. 985, however, is different from previous check-off programs. The bill mandates transparency and accountability through many layers of auditing and reporting, as well as giving every producer – no matter their size – an equal vote in the referendum.  We have incorporated a number of changes to further improve the bill, including an update from CBO that ensures the bill will result in absolutely no cost to taxpayers.

“I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R.985, which will have a positive impact in every congressional district.”