Andrea Joy Campbell: “Today, I rise to introduce legislation which will provide relief to 25 of those States that have been penalized by one…”

“Today, I rise to introduce legislation which will provide relief to 25 of those States that have been penalized by one such mandate. The Intermodal Transportation Act of 1991 penalized States which did not pass laws mandating seatbelt and helmet usage by October 1 of 1993. The penalties involve a required transfer of scarce transportation and construction dollars to section 402 safety programs. The penalties are assessed regardless of whether the State already has the funds dedicated to safety programs and regardless of the State's individual safety record. Like many of my colleagues, Mr. President, I am not opposed to safety programs and I certainly support them. I am not opposed to the use of helmets. On the contrary, I am opposed to the Federal Government blackmailing States, as many other Senators are. It is not a good policy to force States to channel funds from one transportation activity to another, using threats of withholding Federal money for these programs. This bill would give States the option of implementing their own safety programs, which they can tailor to the specific needs of their individual States.”