[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16727]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petition or memorial was laid before the Senate and was 
referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-101. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the State of Michigan urging the United 
     States Congress and the United States Department of the Army 
     to accelerate federal funding to improve military vehicle 
     safety from rollover accidents; to the Committee on Armed 
     Services.

                        House Resolution No. 156

       Whereas, The United States Department of Defense is seeking 
     to implement fleet management and modernization solutions to 
     meet light tactical vehicle (LTV) requirements while 
     addressing the challenges associated with improving safety, 
     restoring threshold capabilities, maintaining average fleet 
     age, mitigating major component obsolescence, and reducing 
     sustainment and operating costs; and
       Whereas, The Michigan National Guard and Michigan military 
     community have been and will continue to utilize the high 
     mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV) in their 
     missions to support and protect the United States. Non-
     armored and up-armored HMMWVs are projected to be in the 
     fleet through 2048; and
       Whereas, Preventable deadly rollover accidents continue in 
     the HMMWV fleet. Data from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness 
     Safety Center indicates that a significant number of HMMWV 
     rollover accidents and crashes continue today, resulting in 
     death and injury. Accidents occur outside the United States 
     and also within U.S. borders during peace missions and 
     training exercises, endangering the lives and property of 
     civilians as well; and
       Whereas, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
     report data indicates that antilock brake systems (ABS) and 
     electronic stability control (ESC) reduce fatal rollovers by 
     74 percent and fatal impacts with objects by 45.5 percent. 
     The United States government has mandated ABS and ESC in all 
     road-going passenger vehicles since 2011, and they are now 
     standard equipment on all passenger cars, light trucks, and 
     vans. The technology has been available to the public since 
     1987; and
       Whereas, The HMMWV is not currently equipped with ABS or 
     ESC. The HMMWV threshold operational requirements include ABS 
     and ESC for the entire HMMWV fleet. Therefore, these vehicles 
     need to be brought up to operational requirements; and
       Whereas, The Army Product Director Light Tactical Vehicles, 
     the Michigan National Guard, and the industry have 
     successfully developed and tested solutions using commercial 
     off-the-shelf components modified for defense vehicle 
     application. The proven components, obtained from Michigan's 
     high-volume automotive supply base, can be used to retrofit 
     the entire fleet; and
       Whereas, Installation of these standard automotive safety 
     enhancement systems will considerably lower the number of 
     HMMWV rollovers and loss-of-control crashes, save lives, and 
     reduce costs; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the 
     United States Congress and the U.S. Department of the Army to 
     accelerate federal funding to improve military vehicle safety 
     from rollover accidents; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States Senate; the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives; the Chairman of the 
     United States Senate Armed Services Committee; the Chairman 
     of the House Armed Services Committee; the Chairman of the 
     Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Defense; the Chairman 
     of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Defense; the 
     Under Secretary of the Army; the Commandant of the Marine 
     Corps; the Chief of the National Guard Bureau; the Assistant 
     Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and 
     Technology; and the members of the Michigan congressional 
     delegation.

                          ____________________