[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 28 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E404]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT: A LEGACY FOR USERS

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                               speech of

                         HON. STEPHANIE HERSETH

                            of south dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 9, 2005

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3) to 
     authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety 
     programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes:

  Ms. Herseth. Mr. Chairman. I rise today to express my support to an 
amendment to H.R. 3, the Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users, 
offered by my colleague, Representative Tom Osborne of Nebraska.
  The Osborne Amendment would allow the State of Nebraska the 
opportunity to revisit a state statute restricting length of vehicles 
used by custom harvesters during harvest season. The length law in 
Nebraska has been frozen at 65 feet since 1991. Unfortunately, this 
restriction does not accommodate much of today's modern custom 
harvesting equipment which often exceeds this length.
  Existing laws in surrounding western states currently permit truck 
length approximately 15 feet longer than in Nebraska. My home state of 
South Dakota permits commercial vehicle combinations up to 81 feet, 6 
inches in length. This inconsistency in state laws creates a 
significant obstacle for harvesters, who travel from south to north 
each year, and must reconfigure their equipment in order to legally 
transport it through the state of Nebraska into neighboring states. 
This is a slow, expensive, and unnecessary process.
  The Osborne Amendment would enable the State of Nebraska to alleviate 
much of the burden on custom harvesters during harvest time by creating 
greater uniformity in length laws throughout western agricultural 
states. Increasing the efficiency by which custom harvesters travel 
throughout the Midwest will benefit both producers and consumers and I 
am pleased to voice my support for this amendment.




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