Senator Fischer Statement on Surface Transportation Legislation

Press Release

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and Ranking Member of the Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports Subcommittee, released the following statement today after the committee advanced a $78 billion surface transportation funding package:

"My Senate Commerce Committee colleagues came together in a bipartisan manner to address infrastructure. The bill will help rebuild our roads and keep communities across Nebraska and the country connected. I am pleased that it includes key legislative priorities of mine, including addressing blocked rail crossings and providing livestock haulers with more flexibility."

More information:

The Surface Transportation Investment Act authorizes $78 billion for key surface transportation infrastructure, safety, and research programs over five years. The reauthorization includes provisions introduced or cosponsored by Senator Fischer which would:

Provide relief for livestock haulers by modifying hours-of-service requirements on the destination of their hauls.

Identify and address blocked rail crossings by authorizing the Federal Railroad Administration's blocked crossing portal as a three year pilot program.

Authorize the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Office to better understand the infrastructure needs of rural and Tribal areas, and provide those communities with technical assistance and information on U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant programs.

Ensure vehicle safety by requiring vehicles with keyless ignitions to shutoff after a certain amount of time. This comes in response to Sharon Shore of Omaha whose parents, Thomas and Ann MacKinnon of Bellevue, passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning when their car was left on in their garage.

Increase authorized funding for an emergency responder hazardous materials response training program.

Require USDOT to develop and make publically available best practices learned from awardees of the new Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation grant program, which will provide funding for projects that incorporate innovative transportation technologies or uses of data.

Require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to identify barriers to states submitting key data on alcohol and drug toxicology information to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, and provide recommendations to address those barriers in order to improve our understanding of drunk and drugged driving.

Require USDOT to review state laws that make it illegal to pass a stopped school bus, identify best practices to address illegal school bus passings, and conduct a public safety messaging campaign to help prevent illegal passings.

Require a study from the Government Accountability Office and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about crash test dummy standards to ensure vehicle crash test data reflect the American public.

Establish the Women of Trucking Advisory Board to review policies that provide training, mentorship, and outreach to women to enter the trucking industry.

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