Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a bipartisan amendment to give needed flexibility to our livestock haulers and producers. My amendment would exempt livestock haulers from hours-of- service requirements for the last 150 air miles to their final destination. Mr. Speaker, since last year, livestock haulers have been temporarily exempted from hours-of-service requirements. However, a permanent solution for our livestock haulers and cattle producers is urgently needed. Speaking as a Floridian, cattle is one of Florida's most important exports. It is typically an 8-hour journey just to transport cattle from our producers in south Florida all the way to the north end of the State, before continuing onward to destinations in the Midwest or elsewhere. For the health and welfare of the cattle in transit, livestock haulers need flexibility on both the front and back end of their journey to get the cattle safely and efficiently transported to their final destinations. Hauling live animals is simply not the same as hauling a trailer full of toilet paper; however, we saw that both were vital during the pandemic. Although I and many other Members on both sides of the aisle support this measure wholeheartedly, I will reluctantly withdraw my amendment today. I remain hopeful that as we move forward, we can work to fix these hours-of-service rules to provide greater flexibility for the success of our Nation's producers and livestock haulers. Mr.…”