Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today to speak in support of my amendment to H.R. 22. Minimum insurance requirements for trucks have remained the same since the 1980s. Currently, it is $750,000. Healthcare costs have skyrocketed. For example, hospital care for traumatically brain-injured people can average $8,000 per day. Minimum insurance does not realistically account for multivehicle accidents where $750,000 must be divided among all of the injured parties. FMCSA is currently undergoing rulemaking to evaluate current insurance requirements. Congress should not delay or derail this effort. Section 5501 conditions the agency's rulemaking upon its completion of detailed studies that must be completed in consultation with industry stakeholders. This amendment strikes language that is designed to delay and ultimately derail this long-overdue rulemaking. When a person suffers life-threatening injuries due to the negligence of a motor carrier, the cost of long-term care and the loss of his or her livelihood often is pushed to the background. For families that undergo this ordeal, it often comes as a surprise that, despite a congressional mandate in the 1980s, minimum insurance requirements for interstate truckers and bus carriers have remained unchanged. The Motor Carrier Act of 1980 specifically set out to ensure public safety by requiring insurance premiums to be updated regularly.…”