The U.S. House of Representatives approved stop-gap, temporary highway funding Thursday in a bill that includes an extension of the new hours of service rules
until September 2005 or until the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration comes up with a replacement rule.
At close of business Thursday, the FMCSA would not comment on the measure. A spokesperson would only say that the agency would issue a statement after the temporary bill was signed into law by President Bush.
The measure must first get through a House-Senate conference, but according to some sources, the bill could be in the President’s hands by this morning.
The new hours of service rules that went into effect in January were rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in July. The FMCSA had petitioned the court for time to consider the issues involved.
The larger highway bill will probably not be dealt with until after November’s election. It still includes a controversial provision that would enable states to impose tolls on existing interstate highways. The measure is strongly opposed by OOIDA and the ATA.
Congressional negotiators trying to hammer out a final bill have struggled with a proposed six-year highway blueprint for months. The White House has threatened to veto anything that exceeds the President's target of $256 billion.
Congressional negotiators have reportedly settled on a $399 billion measure, well in excess of the stated White House limit.
The temporary extension, approved overwhelmingly Thursday, will continue highway funding at levels approved for fiscal year 2004.