Senate Panel Approves FY25 Bill With $965M for FMCSA
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A Senate committee on July 25 easily advanced a bill that would ensure funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation in fiscal 2025.
Tucked in the bipartisan bill, approved by the Appropriations Committee by a nearly unanimous vote, is $964.5 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The trucking regulator seeks to “promote safe commercial motor vehicle and motorcoach operations, as well as reduce the number and severity of accidents involving those vehicles. Agency resources and activities prevent and mitigate commercial motor vehicle and motorcoach accidents through education, regulation, enforcement, stakeholder training, technological innovation, and improved information systems,” according to a report accompanying the bill.
Specific to trucking policy, the transportation bill would block enforcement of electronic logging devices for carriers transporting livestock or insects. It would prohibit inward-facing cameras as part of a commercial driver apprenticeship, and it would urge FMCSA to assist in a review of guidelines that safeguard against predatory towing. Regarding autonomous trucks, the bill points to FMCSA to review existing research and information about safety warning device systems or signs. Additionally, the bill calls for a comprehensive report on cargo theft trends identified in the commercial transportation supply chain.
Subcommittee chair @SenBrianSchatz discussed the FY25 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that passed at today's committee markup. Watch below. pic.twitter.com/6CvvHIbktj — Senate Appropriations Dems (@SenateApprops) July 25, 2024
For other agencies the bill would provide the Federal Highway Administration $63.1 billion, the Federal Aviation Administration $22 billion, the Federal Transit Administration $17 billion, Federal Railroad Administration $3.4 billion and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration $1.2 billion.
“This bipartisan bill makes critical new investments to help people keep a roof over their head and safely get to where they need to be — with new funding to hire more air traffic controllers and air and rail safety inspectors, boost our housing supply, sustain rental assistance, improve America’s roads and bridges, and much more,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate Appropriations Committee chairwoman, said about the bill, which also approves funds for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Great news! ATA secured more trucking wins in a bill that would address:
🅿️Truck parking
🚚Cargo theft
🚚Predatory towing
🎓Younger driver apprenticeships
As the appropriations process advances, ATA will press the Senate to build on these victories.
https://t.co/PZW9RRYi7h — American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG) July 27, 2024
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, observed: “The funding in this bill will help make homes more affordable, reduce homelessness, improve air traffic safety, and reduce flight delays. Importantly, this bill also makes record investments in native housing, which will help native people in Indian country, Hawaii and Alaska buy and keep their homes. I’m proud of the work this subcommittee has done on a bipartisan basis to produce a strong bill and urge my colleagues to pass it as soon as possible.”
A Senate floor vote has yet to be scheduled.
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American Trucking Associations praised the bill’s provisions. “Trucking is the industry that the American people depend on most to move the vast majority of the nation’s freight. Given the essentiality of the trucking workforce to our economy and our way of life, it is encouraging to see the Senate Appropriations Committee endorsing key policies that would benefit drivers and bolster the supply chain,” ATA President Chris Spear said July 26. “As the appropriations process moves forward, ATA will continue to push the Senate to back up its clear statements of support for truck parking and cargo theft with robust funding, and we will seek to ensure that the final conference agreement addresses trucking’s priorities.”
On the other side of the Capitol, a House committee passed its version of the transportation funding bill. The House bill would dedicate $200 million for expanding parking availability for truck drivers. A floor vote has not been scheduled. Congress has not cleared fiscal 2025 measures for President Joe Biden’s signature. Not enacting the bills by Oct. 1 would result in a partial federal shutdown.
