FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 12, 2001
CONTACT: Lisette McSoud Mondello
KEY SENATE COMMITTEE ENDORSES
HUTCHISON
PROVISIONS TO BEEF UP
BORDER TRUCK INSPECTION
(Provides $95 million-plus border station infrastructure and inspectors)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a measure outlined by U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison that provides more than $95 million for border inspection stations, inspectors and other border infrastructure improvements designed to ensure that all commercial vehicles operating on U.S. highways meet American operation and safety standards. Most of the funding is targeted toward Texas' border with Mexico.
"This bill reflects our commitment to full implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and to keeping American highways safe," said Senator Hutchison, who had pushed for full funding for cross-border inspection efforts. "It calls for rigorous safety oversight. This cannot be accomplished without providing the resources needed for thorough monitoring of all commercial trucks and buses, and to ensure those inspections are carried out quickly and efficiently."
"We cannot throw open our borders completely until we have in place the personnel and adequate facilities for conducting large-scale, routine inspections at all border crossings," the Senator said. "It is vital that we be able to enforce regulations such as weight limitations, and that we are able to collect reliable information on the safety records of all trucking firms and drivers, regardless of their country of origin."
"This funding puts us on the road toward hiring and training enough inspectors to thoroughly inspect the ever-increasing amount of truck traffic NAFTA is creating," Senator Hutchison said. "Parity in trucking is an important part of the NAFTA accords."
The appropriations measure provides $56 million for border crossing and inspection infrastructure, $18 million to hire and train inspectors, as well as funding to strengthen state inspection efforts that includes a $15 million allocation for Texas.
Senator Hutchison, a member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, is the former vice-chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.
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