FAST ACT

On December 4, 2015, the President signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015. The FAST Act is a 5-year authorization bill for surface transportation programs, including the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP), and includes a number of provisions impacting commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety.

The bill makes changes to the MCSAP, includes regulatory reform, makes changes to the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program, improves data quality, and expands opportunities for veterans to enter the CMV industry. The bill also includes many exemptions, state and industry specific, as well as a number of studies and reports on various topics.

To view the bill text, click here.
To read a summary of the bill, click here.
To view a section by section summary, click here.
To view a summary of CVSA’s Reauthorization Policy Recommendations, click here.

FY2016 Appropriations

Funding for FY2016 expires today at midnight. House and Senate negotiators have not yet been able to reach an agreement on funding for the rest of FY2016 and efforts have turned to negotiating a short term continuing resolution into next week, to avoid a government shutdown and allow lawmakers more time to finalize a larger spending package. On Thursday, the Senate passed a ‘clean’ extension through midnight on Wednesday, December 16. The House is expected to pass the extension today before adjourning for the weekend. Agreement on a final FY2016 spending package is being held up while Congressional leaders negotiate a number of policy provisions that Members want included in the final bill – spending levels are, reportedly, largely agreed to. It’s possible that at least one more extension will be necessary next week in order to give law makers enough time to come to agreement and pass an omnibus spending bill for the rest of FY2016.