Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I commend Senator Murray and Senator Shelby for drafting an amendment that is attempting to address the issue of safe…”

“I commend Senator Murray and Senator Shelby for drafting an amendment that is attempting to address the issue of safe trucks on American highways. This is an issue that has caused a lot of disagreement. I know it is a very controversial issue. I want to speak about it because my State is most certainly affected. But I think every State is affected by whether we have safe trucks on our highways. We do not yet have an agreement on this issue that everyone can live with, but I think we are a lot closer than anyone thinks. I ask Senators Murray, Shelby, McCain, Gramm, and the administration to work together to try to make sure we come out with regulations that will assure that we have the facilities and manpower to inspect every truck coming into our country, whether it is from Mexico or from Canada. Second, we must make sure we have foreign-owned trucks and drivers meet U.S. safety standards, while ensuring fair treatment for our trading partners. That is our responsibility and our commitment under NAFTA. Third, I think it is very important that we commit to providing the financial resources for the inspection stations and other border infrastructure.”