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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 24, 2019 11:38 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Donna Oberlander |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Annual Permit for the Movement of Specialized Farming Vehicles |
| In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation that would create two new annual permits for the movement of specialized farming vehicles. Currently, in order to move some specialized farming vehicles, the owner must not only obtain a permit from the PA Department of Transportation, but also schedule a State Police escort—at a time when the State Police are already stretched too thin. Further, the owner of the farming vehicle must bear the cost of the State Police escort and must coordinate all aspects of the move (i.e. obtaining the permit, contending with the weather and scheduling the escort). This legislation would create an annual permit for the movement of specialized farming vehicles. The permit would effectively eliminate the State Police escort requirement, but instead would require the use of a pilot vehicle. Additionally, the farming vehicle can only be moved within 50 miles from the place of origin, as shown on the permit, and would be restricted from being moved on the interstate highway system. The legislation would also set safety measures for gross weight and equipment width and would restrict movement to only during daylight hours. This legislation would also create an annual permit for the movement of agricultural liming materials. The weight of the vehicle shall not exceed 95,000 pounds—an increase from 80,000 pounds under current law—and only permit movement during the months between March through June. This change allows farmers to make fewer trips on the roads and apply products to their soil more quickly. The added benefit is that fewer vehicles will travel on the roads. I hope you will consider co-sponsoring this important, commonsense piece of legislation. Thank you. |
Introduced as HB413