[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5773 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5773

 To amend title 23, United States Code, with respect to vehicle weight 
  limitations for certain vehicles hauling perishable commodities or 
                   products, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 6, 2020

  Mr. Woodall (for himself and Mr. Bishop of Georgia) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 23, United States Code, with respect to vehicle weight 
  limitations for certain vehicles hauling perishable commodities or 
                   products, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Freight Restriction Elimination for 
Safer Hauling Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. VEHICLE WEIGHT LIMITATIONS-INTERSTATE SYSTEM.

    Section 127 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(v) Vehicles Hauling Perishable Commodities or Products.--
            ``(1) In general.--A State may waive the application of any 
        vehicle weight limit established under this section with 
        respect to a covered vehicle hauling a perishable commodity or 
        product.
            ``(2) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Covered vehicle hauling a perishable 
                commodity or product.--The term `covered vehicle 
                hauling a perishable commodity or product' means a 
                vehicle that--
                            ``(i) is carrying--
                                    ``(I) a perishable agricultural 
                                commodity (as defined in section 
                                1(b)(4) of the Perishable Agricultural 
                                Commodities Act, 1930 (7 U.S.C. 
                                499a(b)(4));
                                    ``(II) concrete in an unhardened 
                                state;
                                    ``(III) live poultry;
                                    ``(IV) raw or unfinished forest 
                                products, including logs, pulpwood, 
                                biomass, or wood chips;
                                    ``(V) livestock feed; or
                                    ``(VI) other products or 
                                commodities that could be deemed not 
                                useful after a specified amount of time 
                                in accordance with industry standards 
                                and practices, as defined by a State;
                            ``(ii) meets the weight tolerances (or 
                        weight limits) and vehicle configurations of 
                        the State in which the vehicle is operating 
                        and, if applicable, point of origin radius 
                        distances within the State boundaries in which 
                        the vehicle is operating; and
                            ``(iii) is equipped with speed-limiting 
                        technology that is turned on and set at a speed 
                        not greater than the lesser of--
                                    ``(I) the posted speed limit; or
                                    ``(II) 65 miles per hour.
                    ``(B) Speed-limiting technology.--The term `speed-
                limiting technology' means a technology that prevents a 
                commercial motor vehicle from exceeding a preprogramed 
                maximum speed.''.
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