Gov. Jerry Brown of California signed a bill on Monday that will allow the state’s transit agencies to adopt stronger Buy America rules for the production of new buses and rail cars, reports the Contra Costa Times:

Assembly Bill 1097 permits public transit systems to set their own requirements for the minimum percent of American-made content and components in federally funded buses and rail cars. Without the state law, the federal minimum of 60 percent applies to public transit purchases of buses and rail cars, legislative staffers say.

When the law takes effect Jan. 1, transit agencies can impose a higher buy-American minimum.The buy-America requirements, however, cannot be imposed if they increase the purchase price of vehicles in excess of certain federal thresholds.

The author of the bill, Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkley) hopes stronger Buy America provisions for bus and rail projects will improve California’s employment situation:

"With our economy still feeling the effects of 'the great recession,' we need to keep working to create every job we can," said Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, the author of the bill. "AB 1097 supports American jobs and the recovery of manufacturing at no cost to state or local governments."

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