The House of Representatives voted nearly two to one Tuesday for a measure that would put a kink in President Bush's plans to open the border to Mexican trucks under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

According to published reports, Rep. Martin Sabo, D-Minn., backed the proposal that would prohibit the Department of Transportation from spending money to process any applications from Mexican companies.
Sabo altered his amendment from an earlier one that had failed, which would have required U.S. safety officials to inspect Mexico companies before they begin long-distance operations in the U.S. The current proposal calls for Mexican companies to get a safety audit within 18 months of U.S. registration. (See "Safety Agency Proposes Mexico Rules," 5/2/2001.)
After the vote, Sabo told reporters that he expects the measure will be altered by the time the Senate considers the issue and the two houses write a compromise version, perhaps to requiring tougher safety inspections than called for in the current proposal.
Sabo's amendment was included in a $59.1 billion transportation funding bill for fiscal 2002, which passed 426-1.