PRINTER'S NO. 1749
No. 310 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY CASORIO, BELFANTI, BISHOP, CALTAGIRONE, CREIGHTON,
DALEY, FABRIZIO, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARKINS, HESS,
M. KELLER, KIRKLAND, KOTIK, MOUL, MOYER, O'NEILL, PAYNE,
RAYMOND, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROAE, ROHRER, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY,
WALKO, WOJNAROSKI, VULAKOVICH AND SURRA, JUNE 1, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, JUNE 1, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the United States Senate to adopt and the President of
2 the United States to sign the Safe American Roads Act of 2007
3 (H.R. 1773).
4 WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of the General Assembly to
5 ensure that every family traveling our highways is sharing the
6 road with vehicles which meet the same rigorous safety standards
7 established for United States cars and trucks so as not to
8 recklessly endanger our citizens, especially our children; and
9 WHEREAS, The Bush Administration announced it is initiating a
10 one-year experimental program which would allow 100 Mexican
11 carriers to begin travel beyond the currently permitted
12 commercial zones, a program which raises serious safety
13 concerns; and
14 WHEREAS, This program could negatively impact homeland
15 security because it is unclear if drivers will be checked
16 against the terror watch list, if our borders will be open to
1 anyone with a Mexican driver's license, if drivers will be
2 required to carry a Mexican passport just as United States
3 citizens are required to present their passports when entering
4 the country from Mexico or Canada or if all trucks will be
5 inspected by United States officials in Mexico and at the United
6 States border, as the United States Department of Transportation
7 asserts, when less than 10% of all Mexican trucks entering the
8 commercial zone are inspected now; and
9 WHEREAS, From the very beginning, concerns have been raised
10 about the United States Department of Transportation and this
11 experiment; and
12 WHEREAS, The United States Department of Transportation first
13 denied the program's existence before its announcement in
14 Mexico; and
15 WHEREAS, When the program failed to meet the legal
16 requirements for a pilot project, the United States Department
17 of Transportation quickly reclassified it as a demonstration;
18 and
19 WHEREAS, Allowing Mexican trucks onto United States highways
20 violates a 2002 Federal law that, according to the House
21 Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, prohibited the
22 United States Department of Transportation and, more
23 specifically, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
24 from using funds to review or process applications of Mexican
25 motor carriers seeking long-haul operating authority until 22
26 preconditions and specific safety requirements were met; and
27 WHEREAS, The program calls into question the enforcement of
28 many Federal laws and standards on topics such as wages and
29 hours, commercial drivers' licenses, regular physicals, minimum
30 age, drug and alcohol testing, false log books and fatigued
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1 drivers; and
2 WHEREAS, In an effort to address these concerns, H.R. 1773
3 (2007), entitled the Safe American Roads Act of 2007, was
4 introduced to prohibit the United States Department of
5 Transportation from granting authority to Mexican trucks to
6 operate beyond the commercial zone, except under a pilot
7 program, until the department complies with all 22 safety and
8 security requirements outlined in section 350 of the act of
9 December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-87, 113 Stat. 833); and
10 WHEREAS, H.R. 1773 (2007) was overwhelmingly approved by the
11 full United States House of Representatives by a vote of 411-3
12 on May 15, 2007; therefore be it
13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
14 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the United States Senate to
15 adopt and the President of the United States to sign H.R. 1773
16 (2007); and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
18 the President of the United States, presiding officers of the
19 Senate and to each Senator from Pennsylvania.
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