|
Contact: Ed McDonald
(202) 225-3065
|
|
REP. COBLE SPEAKS ON AUTHORIZING COMPENSATION FOR FURLOUGHED TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES
Washington,
Mar 10 -
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong support for H.R. 4786. The distinguished gentleman from Minnesota has pretty well covered this bill in detail.
I will speak briefly to it. Beginning at midnight on February 28 through March 2, all of the programs and the operations of the agencies funded under the Highway Trust Fund came to a halt because the extension of these programs was not passed by Congress, as the chairman has already pointed out. As a result, nearly 2,000 Department of Transportation employees were furloughed. This bill will ensure that those employees furloughed, at no fault of their own, will receive their normal compensation for that period of time.
Between February 28 and March 2, certain surface transportation activities were classified as ``essential,'' such as the Federal safety inspection of trucks and buses. This bill approves these activities as essential actions taken to save lives and to protect property, allowing the DOT employees who worked on those activities during the furlough to be paid. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 4786. I support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
|
Print version of this document
|
