Senate Votes to Kick Off Negotiations with House on Highway Bill
The Senate on Nov. 10 agreed to officially start finalizing a multiyear highway bill with House lawmakers.
Eighty-two senators voted to get going on conference negotiations, which would begin as soon as the House returns from the Veterans Day break. Seven senators voted against conferencing with the House.
Before the vote, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the surface transportation committee, acknowledged that senior Senate and House transportation staffers were “already speaking” on ways to reach agreements on a final highway bill.
Last week, the House advanced a six-year highway bill. The Senate passed its version in July. While both bills would authorize highway and transit programs for six years, each bill has a funding structure of about three years.
Senate and House transportation leaders have expressed optimism about reconciling the policy differences in their bills to ensure a final version is ready for President Obama’s desk by Nov. 20. That’s when current funding authority for the Highway Trust Fund expires.
The Senate also voted 56-31 to agree on a motion by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) to instruct highway bill negotiators to proceed with an effort meant to delay the approval of twin 33-foot trailers nationwide. The multiyear highway policy bills do not include provisions related to twin 33-foot trailers. Those provisions are included in the fiscal 2016 transportation appropriation bills up for consideration next month.
“Thirty-eight states say these longer trucks are not safe, and they tell us that they don’t want them on the highways and byways,” Wicker said, in a statement. “I think we should respect their decision. Today’s vote against this federal government mandate sends a strong signal that we stand with the overwhelming majority of Americans who do not want to contend with these longer double trucks on their roads.”
American Trucking Associations backs the nationwide authorization of twin 33-foot trailers. After the vote, ATA spokesman Sean McNally said the federation "continues to believe a modest increase in trailer length would lead to tremendous benefits not just to highway safety, but to the economy and the environment. We are disappointed the Senate has chosen to vote against this safe and efficient vehicle and in support of fear-mongering special interests."
"Since neither the House nor Senate highway bill addresses an increase in tandem trailer length, we were puzzled by Sens. Wicker and (Dianne) Feinstein’s demand for a non-binding procedural vote on the issue," McNally told Transport Topics. "Contrary to the claims of Sens. Wicker and Feinstein, these vehicles — which are already operating safely in several states — will not be operating in urban areas, or even rolling down Main Street, USA. Much like their cousins of varying size, these twin 33s will be almost exclusively operating on the interstate highway system, roads designed for larger vehicles. To say otherwise, is quite simply, distorting the facts to fit an anti-truck agenda.”
