Senate Democrats Express Concerns Over Proposed Rollback of Safety Provisions in Highway Bill
Thirteen Senate Democrats called on their chamber's leaders to prevent a “rollback of safety or consumer protections” included in the highway bill in order to avoid "any potential erosion of support for the final bill."
In a Nov. 12 letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the senators said passing a long-term highway bill “should not come at the expense of weaker safety and consumer protections” that they say were included or considered by the House of Representatives.
Specifically, the senators singled out provisions in the bill related to “requirements that could limit the publication of life-saving warnings” as well as, “provisions that hamper truck safety, including requiring younger truck drivers on our highways.”
The letter was signed by Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Bill Nelson of Florida, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Al Franken of Minnesota, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Dianne Feinstein of California, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Tom Udall of New Mexico, Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Senate and House transportation leaders are negotiating the terms of a final highway bill. Their goal is to wrap up their work on the bill by Thanksgiving.
Under the House-passed highway bill, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would be required to make “corrective actions” to its Compliance, Safety, Accountability program. During a review of CSA by the National Research Council of the National Academies, certain CSA scores would be removed from public view. That bill also would establish a graduated commercial driver license program meant to kick off the process of allowing drivers between the ages of 19 years, 6 months and 21 to operate trucks in interstate commerce.
