Appropriations Bills Outline FMCSA Funding Priorities
OLIVER B. PATTON
WASHINGTON EDITOR
The House and Senate have bills that would give the major trucking agency, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, what it sought in its budget.
Both houses missed the Oct. 1 deadline for appropriating next year's money not just for the Department of Transportation but for all federal agencies but enough work has been done to outline the shape of what's to come.
There is nothing unusual in the delay. Congress frequently misses this deadline, and this year is even slower due to weightier concerns such as the successful resolution to authorize President Bush to use military force against Iraq. Money still flows through a series of continuing resolutions.
The Senate bill gives FMCSA slightly more than the House $117.46 million instead of $117.44 million. In either case, it is a significant increase from this year's $110 million. Both bills give $190 million to the national safety program, which the agency administers.
Both bills throw cold water on a plan to test the idea of letting selected 18-year-olds drive trucks. The House bill simply cuts off funds for that pilot project, while the Senate said it "is not convinced of the merits of this proposal." Given this resistance, it is unlikely that the agency will move forward, sources say.
The bills also express concern about the commercial drivers license program. They want to see it strengthened, and particularly mention the need to hasten a pending rule that will require hazmat drivers to clear a criminal background check. The Senate urges the safety agency to use covert monitoring to ensure that states and third-party CDL examiners are doing their jobs properly.
Under the House bill, the agency would get $2 million to develop a system to track and control untethered trailers, including real-time identification and notification of unscheduled movements.
The Senate bill pushes creation of a "seamless" hazardous materials incident detection and response system, and includes $1 million to establish a national first responder emergency services network.
The Senate bill also sets aside $1 million to continue the Highway Watch program, which trains truck drivers to report highway incidents.
Both bills include significant boosts for agency staffing and operations along the Mexican border. They also stress congressional concern that FMCSA closely monitor the safety and security of Mexican trucks operating in the U.S. The border was supposed to open last summer, but procedural problems have delayed the process.
Some time this fall, the House and Senate will vote on their bills, reconcile their differences and send a final bill to President Bush.
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