releases: http://barletta.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/barletta-signs-off-on-5-year-highway-bill
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://barletta.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/barletta-signs-off-on-5-year-highway-bill | Barletta Signs Off on 5-Year Highway Bill | 2015-12-01 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Republican | House | PA | Lou Barletta | B001269 | barletta.house.gov | legacy | Good First Step but Sustainable, Dedicated Funding Source Must Be Found WASHINGTON Congressman Lou Barletta, PA-11, today officially signed the conference report on a five-year Highway Bill, marking the completion of discussions ironing out the differences between competing House and Senate versions of the measure. Barletta, a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, was among House conferees appointed to negotiate the particulars of the plan, which includes many of Barlettas highest priorities for the U.S. transportation system and its infrastructure. The package totals about $305 billion over five years. The House and Senate will each have to approve the bill by December 4, 2015, when current highway funding authorization expires. This is a five-year bill, one that is robustly funded, and it will provide long-term certainty in our highway plans, so that Congress is not forever slapping short-term Band-Aids on our transportation problems, Barletta said. I grew up in a family road construction business, and as a former mayor, I know that states, localities, and contractors need this certainty so they can make decisions about projects, hiring, and purchasing equipment. The five-year duration of this bill is a good first step, but ultimately we will have to find a more innovative approach or we will find ourselves with an even bigger problem just half a decade from now, Barletta said. We must work to find a sustainable, dedicated funding source for transportation, or we will have to go through this struggle all over again. I appreciate Rep. Barlettas work as a conferee on this very important highway bill, said Rep. Bill Shuster, PA-9, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He is a valuable member of our committee, and his background in road construction and as a mayor were of great value during the negotiations with the Senate. He made his priorities known, and he fought to have them included in the final bill. During negotiations with Senate conferees, Barletta was able to secure a number of victories for transportation safety, reduced regulation, and common sense. Defeating Truck Weight Increase Barletta was able to defeat efforts that would have increased the weight limit for trucks from 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds. Barletta said that local roads were not built to handle the increased weight, and the heavier trucks would pose a greater danger to their drivers and other motorists. Making Railway Cars Safer Barletta successfully amended the highway bill to require railway tanker cars carrying flammable liquids to be equipped with protections for their pressure safety valves. Newer tanker cars already have this type of feature, but the legislation requires older cars to be retrofitted. The requirement would make it more unlikely for tanker cars to burst into flames or explode in the event of an accident. Agricultural Vehicles Near Farms The highway bill also contains Barlettas priority that states may adopt their own safety standards for agricultural vehicles operating near farms without jeopardizing federal transportation funding. Barletta authored the Local Farm Vehicle Flexibility Act to allow states to permit farmers to operate vehicles that are technically uncovered as they travel from point to point on a farm or to a nearby processing facility, even if they traverse public roads in the process. The legislation clarifies language included in the 2012 Highway Transportation Bill, or the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). Highway Safety Improvement Program Barletta led efforts to ensure that the highway bill fully funds the Highway Safety Improvement Program, which pays for safety measures such as guardrails, retroreflective signs, and road markings. The Senate bill had previously reduced the program sharply. While you will never read the headline Rumble strip saves family of four, this program saves lives every day, Barletta said. For that reason alone, the highway bill improves roadway safety by stopping the cuts in the Senate bill. Safer Trucks and Buses The highway bill includes much of Barlettas Safer Trucks and Buses Act, which seeks to reform safety scores for carriers by making the scores more reflective of the companys safety record. The legislation would temporarily halt the publication of flawed safety scores until the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations (FMCSA) Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) scoring system is revamped. The language in no way eliminates law enforcement access to safety data, meaning that the worst offenders can still be targeted Reducing Paperwork for Ready Mix Concrete Drivers The bill reduces burdensome paperwork requirements for drivers of ready mix concrete trucks, without changing any on-duty rules. Currently, if a driver works for more than 12 hours in a shift, the driver must fill out a log book accounting for every 15 minutes of work. The maximum on-duty period allowed is 14 hours. The change simply makes the two requirements line up, eliminating unnecessary paperwork for the driver. Anyone looking for a perfect Highway Bill wouldnt find one, but this is a big improvement, and a huge step forward, Barletta said. I commend the work of all of the conferees, and our Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |