Posted on 05/15/2007 1:52:01 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to delay a Bush administration plan to allow Mexican trucks full access to U.S. highways.
The trucks would have to be declared safe first, the lawmakers said, and Mexico would have to give U.S. truckers the same access south of the border.
The House voted 411-3 to approve a three-year Department of Transportation pilot program that would restrict opening the border to 100 carriers based in Mexico. They would be allowed to use a maximum of 1,000 vehicles under the pilot program.
The Bush administration wanted to start a pilot program this year that would run for a year before fully opening the border to Mexican trucks.
The House bill, however, specifies criteria for the pilot program before it can start, including setting up an independent panel to evaluate the test program and getting certification from the inspector general that safety and inspection requirements have been met.
The Department of Transportation says it could be as late as 2008 before Congress's criteria are met, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Lawmakers said their major concern is whether Mexican trucks, often older than U.S. cargo vehicles, and Mexican drivers will be able to meet rigorous U.S. safety standards.
"We do not need 90,000-pound unguided missiles on our highways," said Rep. Robin Hayes (news, bio, voting record), R-N.C.
American trucking companies have spent years getting their vehicles up to the Transportation Department standards, lawmakers said. Letting Mexican trucks across the border without making them meet those standards is wrong, they said.
"We're going to have a major accident somewhere, and people are going to say, 'How did this happen?" said Rep. Bob Filner (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif.
Added Rep. Candice Miller (news, bio, voting record), R-Mich: "We need to ensure that this program only takes places after the Mexican companies meet the same conditions that American companies do."
Lawmakers also complained that allowing Mexican trucks greater access will cost American truckers their jobs.
"You can get a Mexican truck driver to work for a heck of a lot less than a Teamster in the United States, and you can get a Mexican dock worker to work for a heck of a lot less than a longshoreman in the United States and that's what this is ultimately designed to do," said Rep. Peter DeFazio (news, bio, voting record), D-Ore.
The Bush administration had planned to run a yearlong pilot program that would allow Mexican trucks beyond the current 20-mile limit from the border but the launch was halted after complaints from Congress.
Since 1982, trucks have had to stop within the buffer zone and transfer their loads to U.S. truckers to take them into the country. The legislation would allow Mexican drivers to take their loads from Mexico to any point within the country.
Supporters of the plan say letting more Mexican trucks on U.S. highways will save American consumers hundreds of millions of dollars. They include many in the trucking industry, the Bush administration and lawmakers who favor the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.
Access to all U.S. highways was promised by 2000 under the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement, as was access through Mexico for U.S. carriers. That aspect has been stalled by lawsuits and disagreements between the two countries, though Canadian and U.S. trucks travel freely across the northern border.
Wow. I have to say that I am more inclined to agree with our dem house than I am with our “republican” president.
Duncan Hunter was leading this charge. I see the dems wisely coopted it.
What was Duncan Hunter’s HR number again? He authored a resolution to force Mexican transport carriers comply with the same rules and regulations as domestic transport must follow. I don’t know where the resolution ended up, do you know?
Full inspection of the contents also? Most Mexican truckers also disconnect the front brakes on their trucks. They do this so they can still steer the truck if they lock up the brakes. They may not be able to stop, but they can sure as hell steer. Something wrong with this logic.
Does the senate have anything to say about this?
Also this is just one more thing I fail to understand the president on.
Illegals allowing them to stay, spending way too much, closing our borders, a lack of hitting Iran and Syria with large heavy weapons etc.
The only ones for these NAFTA requirements are GW & his little adopted brother, Bubba & their New World Order pals.
Maybe politicial eyes are opening.
Certainly, if the Dems want to retain control of the House in 08, they are not going to rush through a Senate Comprehensive Immigration bill similar to the monstrosity from last session.
The state of Oklahoma passed a restrictive bill last week illegals.
The city of Farmer’s Branch, TX passed a bill last week retricting illegals.
The state of Texas voted to delay the SuperHighway for up to two years for further study.
Nearly a dozen states have legislation under consideration that could impact Bush’s SSP, NAU, SuperTranshighway.
Now, today, the House votes to delay Bush’s wanting to allow Mexican trucks free reign on our highways.
Maybe the message is finally getting through to the elected on Capitol Hill.
here ya go.. HR 1756 it seems .. this is pretty close to his earlier proposed pegislation.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/ca52_hunter/trucking_committee_approval.shtml
When considering H.R. 1773, several members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, including the panel’s Chairman, noted the legislation “borrowed heavily” from H.R. 1756, the NAFTA Trucking Safety Act, introduced by Congressman Hunter. Specially, H.R. 1773:
· Limits the Department of Transportation (DoT) from granting authority to Mexican motor carriers to operate beyond commercial zones along the border;
· Provides guidelines DoT must follow before the implementation of a pilot program, including those outlined in section 350 of P.L. 107-87, which can only be certified by the DoT Inspector General;
· Requires that a detailed description of the pilot program be published in the Federal Register, including the enactment and enforcement of English proficiency standards;
· Requires the DoT Inspector General monitor and review the pilot program and provide a full report to Congress.
H.R. 1773 presently awaits consideration by the Full House.
How does one join the “New World Order?”
Good job Mr. Hunter!
This whole NAFTA thing drives me nutz!
Thank you for the link, NR. I couldn’t remember if it was 1576 or 1756.
Amen!
In this case I agree with the dems.... once in a great while it happens.
It's not a club you can voluntarily choose to join. You have to to either be born into it or tapped to join by those on the inside. And to be tapped almost always requires attending one of the elite Ivy League institutions, or a rough equivalent.
According to Wikipedia, the NWO disbanded in July 2002.
Not to be confused with NWA, which disbanded in 1991. ;-)
Finally someone in DC has listened to the people’s concerns and actually acted.
DC is too quick to give away good American jobs in exchage for low paying foreign replacements. That is absolutely no help to our economy when a fair wage is replaced by a minimum wage for the same work.
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