2010 Legislative Updates
2010
Federal Agencies Funded Through March 4, 2011; SAFETEA-LU Extended to September 30, 2011; Maine/Vermont Pilot Program Not Extended
Today, the Congress has passed, and the President is expected to sign, a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) that will fund the Department of Transportation, FMCSA operations and state safety grant programs at 2010 levels through March 4, 2011.
Earlier efforts to pass legislation in both the House and Senate that would have funded the government through the end of the 2011 Fiscal Year did not succeed.
The new short-term CR also extends SAFETEA-LU authorized surface transportation programs, including FMCSA and motor carrier safety grant programs, through September 30, 2011. This is the sixth extension of the 2005 passed SAFETEA-LU legislation that was to originally sunset in September 2009.
The Maine/Vermont truck weight pilot program was not extended in the March 4 CR. The pilot officially expired last Thursday, December 16, 2010. Language renewing the pilot had been included in the full 2011 Omnibus Appropriations bill that the Senate had been considering last week. However, short-term CRs generally do not include measures other than those dealing with funding issues. Thus, the pilot expired primarily due to the legislative process rather than a decision on its merits.
It is possible that the pilot may again be on the table when the new Congress prepares legislation to fund the government, hopefully, through September 30, 2011, the end of the Fiscal Year.
2010
2011 Spending Bills Still Not Decided; Fate of the Maine/Vermont Pilot Remains in Doubt
All agencies of the federal government, including the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, are currently being funded under a Continuing Resolution (CR) at basically FY 2010 levels. This CR expires on Saturday, December 18, 2010. The House has already passed a long-term CR at 2010 funding levels through September 30, 2011. It had been expected that the Senate would consider its own bill, more in the nature of a regular 2011 Omnibus Appropriations bill, however, that effort was abandoned late last night largely due to the number of “earmarks” in the bill. It is now expected that the Senate will put together a CR similar to the House. The question is whether the Senate version will extend to September 30, 2011, or just for a few months into next year. We will provide further updates as we learn more information.
It should be noted that whatever final piece of funding legislation ultimately passes the Congress, both the House and Senate are in agreement on extending SAFETEA-LU through September 30, 2011 and this language will be in the bill. Rep. John Mica (R-FL), the new incoming Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says he is committed to getting a reauthorization bill out of his Committee by April of next year.
With respect to the Maine/Vermont truck weight pilot program, the 2011 Omnibus Appropriations bill that the Senate had been considering extended the pilot for another year. It is not known whether the new CR the Senate is drafting will contain this language. It is also important to note that the one year pilot approved in last year’s Appropriations bill officially expired yesterday, December 16, 2010.
2010
Congress Continues 2010 Funding for DOT and Other Federal Agencies Through December3rd with Continuing Resolution (CR)
On September 30, the last day of the 2010 Federal Fiscal Year, the U.S. Congress sent the President legislation (which he has signed) funding the federal government at 2010 authorized levels on a temporary basis until December 3rd.
The Congress has recessed until after the mid-term elections and will reconvene on November 15 for a lame duck session that could run until well into December. In this session, Congress will wrap up all 12 federal agency funding bills, including the DOT, into one “omnibus” appropriations bill rather than consider each one separately.
Since a reauthorization bill has not yet been enacted, the CR funds MCSAP and other state safety grant programs at the maximum SAFETEA-LU authorized levels as has been the case for the 2010 FY. However, it is expected that FMCSA will receive an extra $20 million over SAFETEA-LU limits to assist in the implementation of CSA 2010 since both the House and Senate DOT/HUD Appropriations Subcommittees approved this increase.
CR Did Not Renew or Make Permanent the Maine and Vermont Size and Weight Pilot
Despite reports that the Obama Administration had asked Congress to make this pilot permanent in the CR, it did not happen. The pilot would allow trucks operating on the Interstate Highway System in these states to exceed the current federal weight limit of 80,000 lbs. However, there is still a possibility that language making the pilots permanent may be included in the “omnibus” appropriations bill.
CVSA had recommended to the Senate Appropriations Committee and Secretary of Transportation LaHood that if the pilot is extended, specific criteria for implementing the pilot should be developed that would enhance the pilot and allow for the collection of the safety and other pertinent data consistent with CVSA’s current size and weight reauthorization policy. Since this enhancement language was not in the Senate Appropriations Committee as reported out of the Committee, it is unlikely that it will be added in the omnibus appropriations bill. However, CVSA’s Size and Weight Committee has been engaged with FHWA and FMCSA on this issue and FHWA is working with enforcement officials in both Maine and Vermont on various aspects of the pilot. The enhancement of the pilot may well be accomplished administratively through the efforts of FHWA working with state officials and industry.
Over and above the Maine/Vermont pilot, size and weight is sure to be an issue in the next reauthorization bill. This summer, Senate Bill 3705 was introduced by Senators Collins of Maine, Crapo of Idaho, and Kohl of Wisconsin. It is identical to HR 1799, introduced in the House last year by Rep. Michaud of Maine allowing all states to authorize the operation of trucks up to 97,000 lbs. on their Interstate highways.
Bus Safety Bill is a Priority on the Senate’s Agenda
As reported in our Legislative Update of December 17, 2009, the Senate Commerce Committee reported out S. 554, the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act in December of 2009. It is ready to be brought to the floor of the Senate at anytime, and may well be up for a vote in advance of the reauthorization bill. On the day before the Senate recessed last week for the mid-term elections, the bus safety bill was ‘hotlined” meaning that it could come up for a Senate vote under “unanimous consent” with only a voice vote required. However, it can only be brought to the floor if all 100 Senators agree ahead of time. Under this process, any Senator can place a “hold” on the bill preventing a floor vote. In this instance, one Senator did. In any event, the bus safety bill came close to passing the Senate and it may well come up for consideration again in the lame-duck session.
Cross Border Trucking Program with Mexico Still on Hold
The 2011 DOT Appropriations bill (now on hold until December 3) as reported out of Committee earlier this year, had directed the DOT to report on a cross-border trucking program with Mexico by October 1st. Obviously, this timetable cannot be met due to the fact that the 2011 DOT Appropriations is on hold at least until December 3rd. Nevertheless, it appears Congress will continue to press this issue since Mexico has placed tariffs on many U.S. agricultural products because the border has not yet opened.
UCR Fee Schedule to Remain Unchanged in 2011
At its August 12 meeting, the UCR Board voted to keep the new 2010 fee structure in place for the calendar year 2011.
Truck Safety Technology Bill ( H.R. 2024 and S. 1532.) Continues to Draw Support
The Teamsters Union has recently expressed an interest in the bill and if they decide to support the bill, it may help the coalition working for passage of the bill gain more co-sponsors in the House. There are currently 37 co-sponsors in the House. Even though this legislation will in all likelihood will be up for consideration as part of the reauthorization bill next year, the more co-sponsors obtained, even in the current Congress, will help ensure that it is considered next year.
Senators Pryor (D-AR) and Alexander (R-TN) Introduce Bill Mandating EOBR’s
On September 29, Senators Pryor and Alexander introduced legislation (S. 3884) mandating the use of Electronic-on-Board Recorders industry wide. A copy of the bill is attached. They introduced the bill at this point in time to allow for as much time as possible for stakeholders to review the bill and to obtain broad support for the bill prior to the consideration of the reauthorization bill early next year.
CVSA representatives met with Sen. Pryor’s staff this past Friday to indicate our strong support for the bill and to discuss certain items such as data accessibility/availability for enforcement, certification of the technologies, transfer of the EOBR data to the inspector at the roadside, and the potential costs to the states in terms of impacts and to ensure adequate funding is made available for implementation.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Reauthorization Raises Enforcement Issues
In recent testimony before the House Security Subcommittee on the reauthorization of TSA, the American Bus Association advocated that FMCSA be given the sole responsibility for safety and security audits rather than have such audits duplicated by the two agencies.
CVSA has also responded to a Senate Commerce Committee inquiry with respect to the need for HM background checks on all HM endorsed drivers. CVSA indicated that these should be two separate credentials with the HM endorsement used as a safety credential for all HM drivers and the TWIC serving as a security credential for those hauling security sensitive materials. The background check requirements should be structured such as to not put undue burden/costs on the industry.
It appears unlikely that Congress will take action on TSA reauthorization until next year.
Reauthorization a Possibility in Early Months of 2011 in New Congress
When President Obama announced his $50 billion Infrastructure Bank proposal on Labor Day, few details were provided except that he indicated that this would be the first step in seeking passage of a six-year transportation bill which his Administration would submit to the Congress along with the 2012 budget early next year. The issue of how to pay for a six-year bill still remains the sticking point. Few believe that an Infrastructure Bank would provide all of the revenue needed which leaves an increase in the fuel tax as the only other viable option.
A minority staff member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee recently addressed a transportation group in Washington and mentioned for the first time the possibility that Congress would pass only a two or three-year bill, instead of the traditional six-year bill possible eliminating the need for a fuel tax increase and, instead, use general fund money to make up the difference between what a three-year bill would cost and what the Highway Trust Fund would be able to sustain for that period. This option would very likely result in a significantly scaled down version of a transportation bill with more limited increases in funding and resources.
The current extension of SAFETEA-LU expires on December 31 of this year. A further extension will be one of the items on the agenda of the lame-duck Congress. The length of the next extension bill should provide a pretty good indication of whether Congress is serious about taking up reauthorization early in the next Congress.
Senate Commerce Committee Discussions
CVSA is engaged in ongoing discussions with the staff of the Senate Commerce Committee on Grant flexibility, Maintenance-of-Effort, safety exemptions, New Entrants, the issue of inter and intra-state enforcement of the safety regulations, and the issue of registration versus operating authority.
CVSA recently had a constructive meeting with Edison Electric Institute staff and one of their key state utility company members about the hours-of-service exemption provided to Utility Service Drivers in SAFETEA-LU. While, as expected, they did not want to lose the specific statutory exemption in SAFETEA-LU, they were open to further discussions on the issue to forge common ground for ensuring safety and looking into more innovative ideas such as the implementation of fatigue management plans.
2010
DOT Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011
The House passed the 2011 DOT/HUD Appropriations bill, H.R. 5850, before the August recess. In the Senate, S. 3644 has been voted out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and will likely come to the Senate floor sometime in September. As has happened in the past, since this bill is one of the few bills which has cleared both Chambers on schedule, it may become the lead bill for an omnibus, multi-agency appropriations bill this fall. However, in the last couple of years, omnibus bills have had a history of not being passed by September 30, the end of the fiscal year; so once again, it is possible there will be a Continuing Resolution (CR).
Both the House and Senate bills fund MCSAP and other state safety grants at the SAFETEA-LU authorized limits which were the level approved for the current 2010 fiscal year. FMCSA’s 2011 budget was increased by $20 million for implementation of CSA 2010.
Regarding the issue of additional resources for the states to implement CSA 2010 (which is more of an issue for the authorizing committees than it is for the appropriations committees), it should be noted that CVSA spoke to this subject in our testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the hearing on CSA 2010 earlier this summer. We pointed out that the best way for the states to be able to fully implement CSA 2010 would be for Congress to pass a new long-term Transportation bill with 90/10 funding and a revised Maintenance-of-Effort (MOE) formula.
Copies of the House and Senate Committee Reports on the legislation are attached. It is very common for the Appropriations Committee to request additional information and reports from agencies within their jurisdiction as they have with FMCSA. In some cases, it may be that CVSA can provide assistance to FMCSA in gathering information on the various issues.
You will notice in the Senate Report on page 70 that reference is made to FMCSA’s proposed two-year, hours-of-service exemption for transportation of anhydrous ammonia within a 100 air mile radius during planting and harvesting seasons. CVSA submitted comments to FMCSA on this proposal last week.
Maine and Vermont Size and Weight Pilot Project
As you may recall, a pilot project allowing weights in excess of the 80,000 lb. federal weight limit on Interstate highways in these states, was provided for in last year’s Senate Appropriations bill and eventually agreed to in a House-Senate conference. The 2011 bill passed by the House did not include a renewal of the pilot, nor did the bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. It is possible that language continuing the pilot may be inserted in the Senate appropriations bill at the last minute when the bill is up for consideration on the Senate floor. Whatever happens, the pilot will remain in effect until superseded by a new appropriations bill. A CR would continue the existing pilot along with all other programs.
CVSA sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee recommending that, if the pilot were renewed, it should be made more comprehensive and include the criteria for a pilot as detailed in CVSA’s size and weight reauthorization policy. Last year’s Appropriations bill provided little guidance to the states in this regard. CVSA believes that the Maine and Vermont pilots, if carried out on a more comprehensive basis for a longer period of time could provide the opportunity to gather much needed safety and infrastructure data as a basis for developing a new size and weight policy nationwide. We have learned that FHWA is working closely with Maine and Vermont to better construct the pilot and has organized six different work groups that are looking at different aspects of the pilot project.
Possibly in anticipation of the fact that the Main/Vermont pilot might not be renewed, a bill was introduced in the Senate in early August that would allow states to authorize the operation of trucks of up to 97,000 pounds on their interstate highways. Senate bill 3705, the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act, is sponsored by Senators Collins (R-Maine), Crapo (R-Idaho), and Kohl (D-Wisconsin). This bill is identical to H.R. 1799 introduced in the House last year whose lead sponsor is Rep. Michaud (D-Maine).
Cross-Border Trucking Program with Mexico
The Senate Appropriations bill as reported out of Committee directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish and report on a cross-border trucking program with Mexico by October 1 of this year. This provision was added by Sen.Patty Murray (D-Washington), Chairman of the Transportation/THUD Subcommittee in an effort to end retaliatory tariffs that were levied primarily on agricultural products by Mexico last year following a Congressional vote to discontinue the Mexican border pilot program that allowed a limited number of carriers from both the U.S. and Mexico to deliver beyond the commercial border zone.
On August 16, the Mexican Embassy in Washington announced that the Government of Mexico has renewed the list of U.S. goods subject to increased tariffs closely resembling last year’s list.
Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Toyota Bill) and Bus Safety Legislation
There is a possibility that the House may take action on this bill when it reconvenes in early September. It provides NHTSA with new enforcement and regulatory authority relating to recalls. If the House does act, the bill would then come back to the Senate to take action on its version of this bill, in which case, there is a distinct possibility that the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act, S. 554, would be added at the urging of Senators Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) along with Sen. Rockefeller’s Distracted Driving bill, S. 1938. An EOBR mandate is in the bus safety bill and an Electronic Data Recorder is mandated in the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
Although Congress may be in session for a relatively short period of time before adjourning sometime in October for the fall elections, there are indications that there may well be a lame-duck session of Congress after the elections allowing, among other things, for passage of the above safety legislation.
With regard to bus safety, on August 16, NHTSA issued an NPRM requiring new motorcoaches to have lap-shoulder belts. The proposed rule would take effect three years after the final rule is issued. There is a 90 day comment period and CVSA’s bus passenger committee will be developing comments to be filed on behalf of CVSA.
Safety and Security
In late July, the American Bus Association testified before the House Security Subcommittee on the reauthorization of TSA and advocated that FMCSA be given the sole responsibility for safety and security audits instead of having TSA do their own version of an audit. CVSA will closely monitor this issue as TSA Reauthorization progress through Congress.
Senate Commerce Committee Meeting on Reauthorization
CVSA met with both Majority and Minority staff of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security recently, at their invitation, to discuss our Reauthorization policies. It was a lengthy meeting allowing for a thorough discussion of all of CVSA’s major issues.
We will be following up with them on new entrant safety audit costs should they decide to establish a registration fee for new entrants. Regarding Maintenance-of-Effort, they asked for more examples from our state members on how the current MOE formula works to their disadvantage. They requested more specific language that would streamline/revise section of the U.S. Code, Title 49, on registration and operating authority with respect to new entrants and chameleon carriers. They also asked for specific examples of instances where interpretations of inter and intra-state operations were impeding enforcement.
Reauthorization Timetable
It appears that both the Senate Commerce Committee and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee are doing the early spade work in developing a bill so that they will be ready when Reauthorization is actually on the table for consideration. The House did their work on the bill last year.
Even if there is a lame-duck session of Congress after the November elections, it appears they would not take up reauthorization at that time. The earliest expectation for such action would be in the first half of next year and even that is not a certainty. The sticking point remains that they must figure out a way to finance increased spending in the bill if they choose not raise the gas tax. Secretary LaHood and the Obama Administration have thus far opposed such an increase.
The wild card in all of this is the economy. If in fact, the economy recovery continues to stall and there is recognition of the need for more economic stimulus, a long-term transportation bill could quickly rise on the list of national priorities along with the need to rebuild other parts of our infrastructure including power, water, and sanitation systems.
Finally, there is a growing belief that if reauthorization doesn’t get done by next year, a separate version of a transportation safety bill might emerge. However, it is difficult to enact changes in safety policy with changing and increasing the funding structure for programs that depend on the Highway Trust Fund.
UCR 2011 Fee Schedule
At its August 12 Teleconference meeting, the UCR Board voted the keep the new 2010 fee structure in place for next year. Revenues received thus far under the new 2010 schedule appear to be meeting expectations.
2010
CVSA Testifies Before House Highways and Transit Subcommittee on CSA 2010
CVSA’s Interim Executive Director, Stephen A. Keppler testified before the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit at a hearing on June 23, 2010 called by Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) to review FMCSA’s plans to implement CSA 2010. Keppler testified on a panel of witnesses that included FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro, representatives of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), and the Owner Operators Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA).
While there were concerns about the process and timing of the implementation of CSA 2010, there was general consensus among all of the witnesses on the overall need for the new plan. Members agreed if the implementation was done carefully, a significant improvement in commercial vehicle safety would be the result.
Key issues raised by ATA and OOIDA were crash preventability, violations being counted against the carrier without an effective due process procedure in place and using VMT as an exposure measure rather than power units. Other issues were the weightings being considered for the Safety Fitness Determination Rulemaking, as well as the possibility of inconsistent enforcement among the states such as probable cause states having a disproportionate amount of violations assigned to carriers for safety rating purposes.
A key concern of CVSA, also shared by Chairman DeFazio and other subcommittee members, was whether the states will have adequate funding to implement the new program since they will have to expend the same resources as FMCSA for this purpose. Administrator Ferro said FMCSA would look into the possibility of letting states use funding from the state safety grant programs, including MCSAP, to help with these costs.
House DOT-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee Marks Up 2011 Funding Bill
This subcommittee reported out its version of the bill to the full House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, July 1. Since a new Transportation Reauthorization bill has not yet been passed, motor carrier safety programs will be funded at the maximum limits allowed under SAFETEA-LU, as was the case with the 2010 funding bill. However, at the request of FMCSA, an additional $20 million was approved for their administrative budget to help with the costs associated with CSA 2010.
Final action on the 2011 budget is uncertain. The entire appropriations process in Congress is behind schedule and there is a possibility that Congress will not complete work on the appropriations bills by the start of the new fiscal year that starts on October 1 of this year. There will very likely be at least one or more Continuing Resolutions before final passage. Since this is an election year, Congress is anticipating an early adjournment.
Auto Safety Bill Extends Event Data Recorders Requirement to Commercial Vehicles
Both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee have reported their respective versions of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010. The bill number in the House is HR 5381 and in the Senate, S. 3302. As of this moment, floor action in either the House or Senate has not been scheduled. This legislation largely deals with issues raised by the Toyota crisis by strengthening the power and authority of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The Senate version (S. 3302) as reported out of the Commerce Committee contained an amendment offered by Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) extending the requirement for event data recorders to commercial vehicles. The amendment reads in part, “Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall revise part 563 of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, to require that all medium-duty vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles sold in the United States beginning with the model year 2017 be equipped with an even data recorder that meets the requirements of that part.”
Senate Commerce Committee Approves Bill Offering States Incentives to Ban Texting
The Senate Commerce Committee also has approved a bill, S. 1938, that would make federal grants available to states that enact laws prohibiting texting and/or other use of handheld cell phones. NHTSA would administer the grant program which requires that 50 percent of grant money received by a state should be used to educate the public about the dangers of texting or using a cell phone while driving, as well as to enforce the law. While hearings have been held in the House, a bill has not been reported out of Committee.
In the meantime, CVSA has filed comments (attached) on a proposal by FMCSA to prohibit texting in commercial motor vehicles. CVSA pointed out that there are a number of other distracted driving activities that contribute to crashes and driver performance.
CVSA Participates in Coalition “Toward Zero Deaths” (TZD)
CVSA is participating in “Toward Zero Deaths,” a national highway safety strategy with the purpose to serve as a national roadmap for reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries. The strategy (see attached) will be to develop a national safety plan and an outreach program as well as a process for implementing the plan. Efforts will be made to coordinate the plan with Canada’s Road Safety Vision activity. The steering committee is made up of representatives of CVSA, Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), National Association of Counties (NACO), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) as well as FHWA, FMCSA, and NHTSA. In addition to a series of webinars held in June, a national TZD Summit will be held in Washington, D.C. on August 25-26, 2010.
2010
CVSA President Testifies at Senate Hearing on Oversight of Motor Carrier Safety Efforts
CVSA President Francis (Buzzy) France recently testified at a hearing before the Senate Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security on “Oversight of Motor Carrier Safety Efforts” on April 28, 2010. Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) chaired the hearing and emphasized issues he considered of greatest importance: electronic onboard recorders, hours-of-service rules, CSA 2010 and truck size and weight. Ranking subcommittee member Sen. John Thune (R-SD) emphasized the importance of state efforts in making CSA 2010 successful and also expressed concern about the lack of harmonization in truck size and weight standards. Sen. Clare McCaskell (D-MO) expressed strong concern about the lack of concern that driver pay is most often determined by miles rather than hours worked and recommended that a study be conducted about the effect of this on truck study. Questions directed to CVSA President France concerned hours-of-service, EOBRs, and truck size and weight. He reaffirmed CVSA Reauthorization policy on each of these issues. Chairman Lautenberg raised the possibility of a further hearing on truck size and weight.
We have attached the statements provided by CVSA, ATA, OOIDA, FMCSA and NTSB as well as a photo from their oral testimonies for your reference.
2010
SAFETEA-LU Extended to December 31, 2010
Yesterday, the Senate passed the “Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE)” Act, H.R. 2847, that included a provision to extend SAFETEA-LU through December 31, 2010 as well as providing the Highway Trust Fund $19.5 billion so it can meet its financial obligations through 2011. FMCSA and the state safety grant programs are funded from the Highway Trust Fund. The President is expected to sign the bill.
This extension will allow FMCSA to begin awarding full year funding for Fiscal Year 2010 to the States and Territories.
Whether a new Reauthorization bill will be passed by December 31 of this year is still questionable. However, both the Senate Environment and Public Works and Commerce Committees are now beginning work on a Reauthorization bill. The Senate Commerce Committee will be holding a series of motor carrier safety hearings starting with a general safety oversight hearing in April. CVSA has been invited to testify. On the House side, a core Reauthorization bill has already cleared the Highway and Transit Subcommittee.
One possible scenario is for the House and Senate to complete work on most of the major issues before the November elections except for the more difficult issue of financing the long term bill. This could conceivably be dealt with in a lame duck session of the 111th Congress. There is a precedent for such a scenario which occurred when the Surface Transportation Act of 1982 was passed.
CVSA Participates in Truck Parking Press Event on Capitol Hill
CVSA participated in a March 16 press conference held by Congressmen Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Erik Paulsen (R-MN) to urge support for a bill, H.R. 2156, that they have co-sponsored creating a competitive grant program to help reduce the shortage of rest area parking and allow public and private owners of existing rest areas to expand and improve security. The bill is called “Jason’s Law” named after Jason Rivenburg who was senselessly murdered during a robbery on March 5, 2009 while parked at an abandoned gas station along the I-95 Corridor in the Southeast. Truckers had been using this lot due to a shortage of rest stops along the Corridor.
The bill has drawn a wide range of supporting organizations that include ATA, OOIDA, the New York State Motor Truck Association, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and the American Moving and Storage Association.
