Col. Scott Hernandez Testifies at Senate AV Hearing

On Sept. 13, 2017, Col. Scott Hernandez of the Colorado State Patrol testified before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. The hearing, “Transportation Innovation: Automated Trucks and Our Nation’s Highways,” focused on whether commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) should be included in autonomous vehicle legislation currently being developed by the committee. A summary of the hearing, Col. Hernandez’s testimony, a list of witnesses and a recording of the hearing can all be found on the committee’s webpage.

Congress Passes Fiscal 2018 Continuing Resolution Through December

On Sept. 8, 2017, Congress passed a continuing resolution funding the federal government at fiscal 2017 levels through Dec. 8, 2017. This gives Congress additional time to resolve any differences between the House and Senate proposals while avoiding the potential for a government shutdown. Earlier that week, on Sept. 6, the House passed its fiscal 2018 transportation appropriations bill, as part of a package of funding bills. The bill funds the CMV-related grants at the full FAST levels for fiscal 2018. The bill also contains a number of policy provisions. An effort to delay implementation of the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate failed.