Heavy Truck Bill Defeated - For Now...
I have previously blogged on the danger of large trucks on the roads, (Bigger Trucks are Bigger Problems, Heavy Trucks Take Toll on Bridges and Highways, and Overloaded Trucks Kill) so I am extremely happy to tell you that the Truck Safety Coalition reported today that:
Yesterday the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee marked up its major surface transportation bill, HR 7, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act. The bill contains numerous anti-safety provisions. One of them would have allowed a "state option" to permit 97,000 lb. trucks and triple-trailer trucks to operate on most roads in many states across the nation. However, Congressman Lou Barletta (R-PA) and Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) introduced and championed an amendment that removed these provisions and replaced them with a responsible study on the impacts of truck sizes and weights.
The TSC commends Congressmen Barletta and Costello for their leadership and also lauds the "aye" votes of Representatives Rahall (D-WV), Altmire (D-PA), Bishop (D-NY), Boswell (D-IA), Brown (D-FL), Bucshon (R-IN), Capuano (D-MA), Carnahan (D-MO), Cohen (D-TN), Cummings (D-MD), Denham (R-CA), Duncan (R-TN), Edwards (D-MD), Farenthold (R-TX), Graves (R-MO), Harris (R-MD), Hirono (D-HI), Holden (D-PA), Hultgren (R-IL), Johnson (R-IL), Johnson (D-TX), Larsen (D-WA), Lipinski (D-IL), Meehan (R-PA), Miller (R-CA), Miller (R-MI), Nadler (D-NY), Napolitano (D-CA), Norton (D-DC), Richardson (D-CA), and Shuler (D-NC).
THANK YOU for all of your calls and emails to express the voice of safety. They made a tremendous difference on yesterday's proceedings.
In other great safety news yesterday, Department of Transportation Secretary LaHood demonstrated tremendous pro-safety leadership in condemning H.R. 7 as "the most anti-safety bill" he has ever seen. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72369.html
The TSC could not agree more with the Secretary and we look forward to working together with you and all these leaders in the Administration and Congress to rid H.R. 7 of other anti-safety provisions and move forward with S. 1950, the "Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Enhancement Act". For more information on the safety provisions in S.1950 and other safety initiatives, please visit www.trucksafety.org .
If you would like to thank the Representatives above for voting for the amendment or express your disappointment to the Representatives below for voting against it, you can get their numbers at www.house.gov.
The following Representatives voted against the amendment:
Chairman Mica (R-FL); Representatives Capito (R-WV), Coble (R-NC), Cravaack (R-MN), Crawford (R-AR), Fleischmann (R-TN), Gibbs (R- OH), Guinta (R-NH), Hanna (R-NY), Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Hunter (R-CA), Lankford (R-OK), LoBiondo (R-NJ), Long (R-MO), Michaud (D-ME), Petri (R-WI), Ribble (R-WI), Schmidt (R-OH), Shuster (R-PA), Southerland (R-FL), Walz (D-MN), and Young (R-AK).
