Capitol Agenda for the Week of July 5: Meet the New Boss

Spear

American Trucking Associations has big news for U.S. House members returning to Washington, D.C., from the July 4 recess. In four days, ATA will have a new president. Chris Spear, most recently vice president of government affairs at Hyundai Motor Co. and formerly senior vice president of legislative affairs at ATA, takes over as president at ATA July 9. He will succeed Bill Graves, a former Republican governor from Kansas. Capitol Hill insiders know Spear quite well. He has been a formidable advocate for the trucking industry and integral in elevating its presence throughout the halls of Congress. The announcement last week at ATA’s headquarters marked the end of the Graves era, although he is staying on through the rest of the year as an adviser. Graves led ATA for 14 years.

“He has a very special place in his heart for this industry, for this association, and for each one of you. And I applaud him for his integrity, his leadership and his passion. And I look forward to working with him,” Spear said of Graves, 63. The trucking industry still is waiting for Republicans who manage the House to indicate when they will call up a fiscal 2017 funding bill that includes trucking provisions.

THE WEEK AHEAD (all times EDT):

July 7, 10 a.m.: The House subcommittees on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and on Border and Maritime Security of the Committee on Homeland Security hold a joint hearing to examine security at the ports. (Watch live)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

JERSEY WINNERS: A bright red 18-wheeler traveling down a hill overlooking a skyline and an ocean liner next to an impressive billboard promoting a safety message, and a school bus approaching celebrants at a green park were the top drawings in this year’s “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” art contest. Both winners were from East Brunswick, New Jersey.

MAGIC VEHICLES: Automated vehicles can be the biggest asset in improving the safety of America’s roads, Christopher Hart, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said in a speech June 30 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

STUCK IN TRAFFIC: Traffic congestion must be alleviated nationwide, or it will remain a detriment to the trucking industry as demand for transporting freight increases in the coming decades, American Trucking Associations Chairman Pat Thomas said at the National Press Club on June 29.

WHAT WE’RE READING:

Matt Fuller with The Huffington Post got Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to open up about the unenviable task of leading a splintered caucus and the Donald Trump effect on the GOP. 

FAVORITE QUOTE:

“When we send a recommendation that says require, that’s NTSB-speak for promulgate a new regulation, and then many times we’re told, ‘Well, we’re so safe,’ that OMB says, ‘Where are the dead bodies’ and there may not be any or enough. And that stops the regulation.” 

— NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart at the National Press Club sharing with the public the federal Office of Management and Budget regulatory sausage-making entails counting dead bodies.

FAVORITE VIDEO:

Transport Topics’ Seth Clevenger traveled to Germany last month to check out ZF Friedrichshafen’s highway driving assist technology for trucks.

No hands: Highway Driving Assist keeps @ZF_Group's Innovation truck in lane and maintains safe distance. #ZFGPE16 pic.twitter.com/aLxuFLVu1A — Seth Clevenger (@SethClevenger) June 29, 2016

FAVORITE TWEET:

Jim Billimoria, most recently the communications guru at the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, bid adieu. He left Capitol Hill last month for a public relations gig at Amazon.com.

Had a great time working with great people in DC. Now it’s off to do great things w/ @amazon in Seattle! https://t.co/gfHDX2fybk — JB (@JimBillimoria) June 23, 2016

Thanks for reading Capitol Agenda! We publish Tuesdays when Congress is in session. Follow us @transporttopics, @eugenemulero, @SethClevenger, @ericdmiller46, @neilabt and @davidelfin. Contact us at: emulero@ttnews.com.