February 9, 2015
Due to the President’s Day holiday, the Capital Report will not be published on February 16. The next issue will be distributed on February 23.
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This Week in Congress
     The Senate plans to continue consideration of legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security.  The Senate also might take up legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act which passed the House last week.  The House plans to take up a bill passed by the Senate last week to require the approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline.  The House further plans to consider a bill that would make permanent tax deductions for donations of food inventory and money from individual retirement accounts and property for conservation.  The House will finish the week with consideration of a bill that would make permanent several small business tax brea  Read more...

NHTSA Report Documents Lives Saved due to Safety Technology
     The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a report on February 6 that found more than 600,000 lives were saved due to the use of vehicle safety technologies between 1960 and 2012.  The report states that the “fatality rate per vehicle mile of travel dropped by an astounding 81 percent from 1960 to 2012.”  28,183 drivers and passengers died in 662 billion vehicle miles traveled (VMT) during 1960.  By 2012, only 21,696 occupants died in 2,653 billion VMT, according to the report.   Read more...

President’s FY16 Budget Seeks Dramatic Increases for DOT Departments
     On February 2, President Obama released his administration’s budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2016 across all agencies of government. The proposal contains a dramatic increase for the US Department of Transportation (DOT), particularly in the areas of vehicle safety and overall agency oversight.  Read more...

West Coast Port Operations Temporarily Shut Down
     On Feb. 6, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) announced that it would suspend weekend vessel operations at all 29 ports along the west coast. This comes after an ultimatum from the PMA's Chief Executive to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (IWLU) last week, warning that the PMA could lock out dockworkers from all terminals along the west coast within ten days if the two sides did not reach a new contract. The previous contract expired in July, and the two parties are in their ninth month of negotiations for a new one. Last week, the PMA said they have yet to settle differences on six issues, including wages, pension, terms of agreement, the arbitration process and how certain functions will be performed, such as chassis truck-bed inspections. Vessel operations are scheduled to resume today.   Read more...

Unfunded Mandate Bill Passes House
     On Feb. 4, the House passed H.R. 50, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act by a vote of 250-173, with nine Democrats voting in favor of the bill. Representative Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) introduced the bill, repeating her efforts from last year. The legislation would increase transparency regarding the costs imposed by unfunded mandates and would hold the federal government accountable for considering those costs before passing them on to local governments and small businesses.  Read more...

House Passes Legislation to Repeal Affordable Care Act and Consider Alternatives
     For the 56th time since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law, the House passed legislation on Feb. 3 to repeal or change the ACA. H.R. 596 passed the House 239-186 with three Republicans voting no and no Democrats voting in favor. The White House had already released a statement that the president would veto the bill if it made its way to his desk.  Read more...

Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Legislation Introduced
     Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary, introduced on Feb. 4, H.R. 703, the RFS Elimination Act and H.R. 704, the RFS Reform Act. The RFS Elimination Act would repeal the Renewable Fuel standard in the Clean Air Act and make ethanol compete in the free market. The RFS Reform Act would eliminate corn-based ethanol requirements, cap the amount of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline at ten percent, and require the EPA to set cellulosic biofuels levels at production levels.  Read more...

Auto Care Association Signs Coalition Letter Urging Swift Passage of Trade Promotion Authority
     The Auto Care Association has signed a coalition letter organized by the National Association of Manufacturers urging swift passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). Renewing this proven partnership between Congress and the president will facilitate negotiation and approval of trade agreements that eliminate foreign barriers and open new export opportunities for industries and workers in the United States.  Read more...

Transportation Secretary Releases Framework on Transportation Programs for next 30 Years
     On February 2, US Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary, Anthony Foxx, released the agency’s vision of transportation needs and programs for the next 30 years. “Beyond Traffic 2045” outlines the issues surrounding a growing US population, increased freight movement, developing technologies, and limited transportation resource dollars.  Read more...

Bipartisan Senate Bill To Pay Vehicle Safety Whistleblowers Introduced
     On January 29, Senators John Thune (R-ND) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced S. 304 that would provide protection and payments to employees of vehicle manufacturers, parts suppliers, and automotive dealerships that bring vehicle safety violations to the attention of the government and that result in a fine against the responsible company.  Up to 30% of any fines resulting from US Department of Transportation and Department of Justice vehicle safety violation enforcement determinations that total $1 million could be paid out to whistleblowers. In order to qualify for the reward, employees must be sharing first-hand information that is not already known to the safety agency regarding safety defects or by reporting violations that could result in serious injury or death in a motor vehicle crash.  Read more...

California Prop 65 Notification Changes Released for Public Review and Comment
     On January 16, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) released the first official draft of proposed changes to Proposition 65 (Prop 65) that requires companies making or selling products in the state that contain certain chemicals to label their products and inform their employees of possible exposure.  Read more...

Trucking Agency Seeks Survey on Driver Compensation and Safe Driving
     On February 4, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a notice of request to begin a new collection of data from commercial truck drivers hauling freight. The Intention of the survey is to find a possible link between the method in which commercial drivers are compensated and their safe driving performance.  Read more...

Common Industrial Solvent Proposed for Schedule I Chemical Control Status Under the WHO and FDA
     On January 27, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a notice for comments regarding the proposed addition of Gamma-Butyrolactone (GBL) to the list of chemicals under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) that would be placed under stricter manufacturing and industrial use regulations. GBL is a common industrial solvent used in recycling and remanufacturing processes.  Read more...

TTIP Study Examines Equivalency of U.S. and EU Safety Standards for Autos
     Auto industry representatives are reviewing the preliminary results of a study aimed at determining the functional equivalence of U.S. and European Union vehicle safety standards. As part of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the study is funded by the Auto Alliance, which includes twelve U.S. and foreign automakers.  Read more...

In This Issue
Due to the President’s Day holiday, the Capital Report will not be published on February 16. The next issue will be distributed on February 23.
This Week in Congress
NHTSA Report Documents Lives Saved due to Safety Technology
President’s FY16 Budget Seeks Dramatic Increases for DOT Departments
West Coast Port Operations Temporarily Shut Down
Unfunded Mandate Bill Passes House
House Passes Legislation to Repeal Affordable Care Act and Consider Alternatives
Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Legislation Introduced
Auto Care Association Signs Coalition Letter Urging Swift Passage of Trade Promotion Authority
Transportation Secretary Releases Framework on Transportation Programs for next 30 Years
Bipartisan Senate Bill To Pay Vehicle Safety Whistleblowers Introduced
California Prop 65 Notification Changes Released for Public Review and Comment
Trucking Agency Seeks Survey on Driver Compensation and Safe Driving
Common Industrial Solvent Proposed for Schedule I Chemical Control Status Under the WHO and FDA
TTIP Study Examines Equivalency of U.S. and EU Safety Standards for Autos
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