Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced the introduction of the “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act’’ or the ‘‘INVEST in America Act’’ of 2021. The five-year, $547 billion surface transportation bill represents a 79 percent increase over current funding levels.
To read or download, click on legislative text, section-by-section, and fact sheet. The Committee Democratic Leadership also released a press release with additional resources. Committee Republican leaders have released their version here called the STARTER Act 2.0.
The Committee began its markup at 10:00 on Wednesday, June 9. You can follow the markup at https://transportation.house.gov/
The California Aquaculture Association and the National Aquaculture Association recommend that members reach out to their Representatives to oppose a provision in the INVEST Act that would increase the minimum liability insurance for motor carriers. The proposal appears in Section 4408, Updating the required amount of insurance for commercial motor vehicles, increasing the minimum amount of insurance required for commercial motor vehicles from $750,000 to $2 million, and directs this amount to be adjusted for inflation by FMCSA [Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration] every five years.
Talking Points:
- Currently an insurance product is not available to fulfill the proposed requirement.
- Insurance premiums may double or more.
- A ripple effect of additional costs to transport aquaculture products to and from your farm will increase.
- A FMCSA funded study found that 99% of long-haul truck related insurance claims were covered by current insurance carried by truckers.
To identify your House member, please click here and remember to invite your Representative and/or staff to visit your farm.
Recent Comments