New Security Measure Includes Highway Watch Funding

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$30.8 billion Department of Homeland Security appropriations measure signed into law by President Bush on Tuesday would give an additional $4.8 million grant to American Trucking Associations for ATA’s Highway Watch program.

The bill also contains a “Good Samaritan” clause that provides protection for persons who have completed the Highway Watch awareness training, designed to train truckers to watch for suspicious or potential terrorism on U.S. roads, ATA said.

When a participant reports a suspicious situation, activity or incident, that person “shall not be liable for damages in any action brought in a federal or state court which result from any act or omission unless the person is guilty of gross negligence or willful misconduct,” the bill stated.

ATA President Bill Graves said in a statement that act’s provisions were vital because Highway Watch members “deserve to be protected from those who would sue for malicious intent.”