Congress Resumes Work On Highway Bill
They have until May 31 to come to terms on a final bill.
Oliver B. Patton
Washington Editor
Congress resumed work on its mammoth transportation spending and policy package with the intent of finally clearing legislation that has been stalled these past 18 months due to disagreements over how much to spend and how to apportion the funds among the states.
In early March the House passed its version of the bill, a $284 billion, six-year measure that would increase funding by 42% over current levels. The Senate was scheduled to mark up its version in the middle of the month. They have until May 31 to come to terms on a final bill that has the blessing of the Bush Administration. If they cannot meet that deadline - the sixth that they have set for themselves - they will have to grant themselves more time.
The House measure, called the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, or TEA-LU, touches a host of vital interests for trucking. Besides funding for highway construction and maintenance, it sets policy on safety, traffic congestion, intermodalism, dedicated truck lanes, truck parking and toll roads.
As big as it is, TEA-LU is not nearly as big as its sponsors had wanted. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that wrote the bill, started out two years ago looking for $375 billion, to be financed by an increase in fuel taxes. Young acceded to White House demands that he scale back his proposal, but still insists that the national infrastructure needs more investment.
SAFETY
The bill would toughen truck safety rules by increasing penalties for out-of-service violations and false records, and by giving the Department of Transportation authority to enforce more stringent safety fitness standards for both interstate and intrastate carriers. Also, DOT would get the authority to revoke the registration of a for-hire carrier if any of its officers engages in a pattern of dodging federal rules.
Under one provision, companies that provide pre-employment screening services to carriers would get electronic access to accident reports in the Motor Carrier Management Information System.
The bill would require DOT to complete a rule on intermodal chassis safety within a year of passage. The rule would have to set up a way of identifying the owner of the equipment and assessing penalties for failure to keep the equipment in good condition.
The bill contains an exemption from the hours of service rules for utility drivers, and it preserves the 24-hour restart provision for ground water well drillers.
Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark., offered an hours of service amendment to allow drivers to take two hours off of the duty clock each day - in effect changing the current 14-hour day to a 16-hour day - but after stiff opposition withdrew it.
The House defeated another hours of service amendment, offered by Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Tex., to place drivers in the oil and gas exploration business under the old rules.
Rep. John Kuhl, R-N.Y., offered an amendment to expand the 100 air-mile exemption for agricultural drivers to 150 miles, and then withdrew it on the promise from House leaders that they negotiate a solution.
Another hours amendment, offered by Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., was adopted. It, in effect, amends the agricultural driver exemption by changing the definition of agricultural commodities to include livestock, food, feed, fiber and other farm products.
OTHER FEATURES
• The bill would set up a pilot program allowing dedicated toll lanes for trucks alongside existing Interstates. It also would expand current tolling practices, to include tolls on existing Interstates (see cover story).
• It addresses a long-standing concern of truck interests - the shortage of truck parking spaces in some parts of the country at certain times of the day. This provision would set up a pilot program in cooperation with state and local governments to address the problem.
• The bill also would funnel money to improving border infrastructure and intermodal connectors.
News continued...
