[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 79 (Friday, May 12, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S6594]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S6594]]
            NATIONAL HIGHWAY SYSTEM AND NATIONAL SPEED LIMIT

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, this week, the Senate Environment and 
Public Works Committee reported out a bill to designate the National 
Highway System or NHS. I want to congratulate the chairman of the 
committee on his leadership.
  While some provisions in the bill cause me some concern, there is one 
feature that I would like to highlight today.
  The National Highway System authorization bill repeals the national 
maximum speed limit. This is a commonsense feature. Repeal removes the 
threat of Federal highway dollar sanctions if a State does not post its 
roads at a 55- or 65-mile-per-hour speed limit.
  The current standard of 55 or 65 miles per hour may make sense in 
some States--especially in urban, congested areas. However, for big, 
sparsely populated States like Montana, it may make sense to change 
that standard. And there is no need for Washington to decide for us.
  Mr. President, the point is that the States should have the ability 
to set their own speed limits. The citizens in each State should have a 
say in these decisions without the threat of a Federal highway fund 
sanction.
  I spend a lot of time walking the roads in Montana. I have walked 
from Livingston to Bozeman along I-90; down Route 93 from Missoula to 
Hamilton; up from Butte along the road to Missoula; and this summer I 
hope to spend a lot of time on the Hi-Line.
  And I can tell you first-hand, those are easy roads to walk and they 
are easy roads to drive. They do not get a lot of traffic. People stop 
and talk. I can wave to every other driver as he or she goes by. And we 
should not treat these roads as if they have bumper-to-bumper New York 
traffic.
  We made at least a start by letting States raise the limit to 65 on 
rural roads. But a Montana driver could drive very safely on many of 
our roads at a higher speed. Montana should be able to set its own 
speed limit without threatening our highway money.
  So, Mr. President, among all the things the NHS bill does--tucked in 
amongst the big construction projects, new technology, increased 
competitiveness, and new jobs--is something that is pretty small, but 
which does a lot to make life easier and Government more sensible.
  It is just plain, simple common sense. Thank you, Mr. President.
  

                          ____________________