U.S. House Appropriations THUD Subcommittee Passes Fiscal 2021 Bill
On July 8, 2020, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations’ Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Subcommittee passed a funding bill that included transportation funding for fiscal 2021. The bill includes funding for research on behavioral responses to ADS, a large-truck crash causal factors study and full funding for commercial motor vehicle-related grants at or above the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act fiscal 2020 levels, including increases to the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) formula funding, High Priority Grant and Commercial Driver’s License Program Implementation (CDLPI) Grant.
- MCSAP Formula – $389.2 million
- High Priority – $59.1 million
- CDLPI – $56.8 million
- CMV Operators – $1 million
In addition, the bill has several policy riders included.
- Section 130 directs FMCSA to send notice of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 385.308 violations by a form of delivery that records notice of receipt. § 385.308 outlines violations that if committed by a new entrant, may trigger an expedited safety audit or compliance review.
- Section 131 instructs FMCSA to add rear impact guards to Title 49 CFR Appendix G to Subchapter B of Chapter III – Minimum Periodic Inspection Standards.
U.S. House Passes Moving Forward Act
On July 1, 2020, the U.S. House approved the Moving Forward Act, an infrastructure package that includes a five-year authorization bill for surface transportation programs, including MCSAP. The bill also includes a number of provisions impacting commercial motor vehicle safety. The bill will need to be reconciled with the U.S. Senate’s proposal, once it is finalized.