CARGO TRANSPORTATION see also Aviation; Merchant Marine Industry; Railroads; Shipping Industry; Transportation; Trucking Industry

Articles and editorials

If You Like Higher Prices, Enriched Cronies, and Weak National Security, Then You’ll Love the Jones Act, S380 [22JA]

Senator McCain’s Jones Act Amendment—Good for America, S379 [22JA]

Bills and resolutions

Antitrust policy: provide expanded coverage and eliminate certain exemptions relative to railroads (see S. 1634), S4298 [18JN]

Arizona: designate the Sonoran Corridor connecting Interstate 19 to Interstate 10 south of Tucson International Airport as a future part of the Interstate Highway System (see S. 1649), S4544 [23JN] (see H.R. 2859), H4591 [23JN]

Bureau of Customs and Border Protection: submit a report on cross-border rail security (see H.R. 2786), H4382 [15JN]

Dept. of Agriculture: use negotiated rulemaking to develop a rule about agriculture quarantine inspection (see H.R. 1091), H1164 [25FE]

Dept. of Energy: authorize exploration, leasing, development, production, and economically feasible and prudent transportation of oil and gas in and from Coastal Plain in Alaska (see S. 494), S982 [12FE]

Dept. of Homeland Security: administer a pilot program for 100 percent scanning of cargo containers at domestic ports (see H.R. 2534), H3560 [21MY]

——— require terrorism threat assessment relative to transportation of chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological materials (see H.R. 3350), H5765 [29JY]

Dept. of Transportation: authorize States to enter into interstate compacts to standardize requirements for commercial driver’s licenses (see S. 1672), S4602 [24JN] (see H.R. 3283), H5762 [29JY]

——— enhance rail safety and provide for safe transport of hazardous materials (see S. 1114), S2473 [28AP] (see H.R. 2074), H2497 [28AP]

——— ensure safety of DOT–111 tank cars by improving standards for new tank cars and upgrading existing tank cars (see H.R. 1789), H2209 [14AP]

——— establish Multimodal Freight Funding Formula Program and National Freight Infrastructure Competitive Grant Program (see H.R. 1308), H1612 [4MR]

——— improve condition and performance of the national multimodal freight network (see S. 1680), S4648 [25JN] (see H.R. 3398), H5767 [29JY]

——— improve safety standards for transporting crude oil by rail (see S. 859), S1891 [25MR] (see S. 1462), S3310 [22MY] (see H.R. 1804), H2268 [15AP]

——— increase certain penalties relative to commercial motor vehicle safety (see H.R. 3887), H7623 [3NO]

——— increase minimum levels of financial responsibility for transporting property (see S. 1739), S4953 [9JY]

——— modify final rule relative to flightcrew member duty and rest requirements for passenger operations of air carriers to apply to all-cargo operations (see S. 1612), S4298 [18JN]

——— modify minimum levels of financial responsibility for the transportation of property (see H.R. 983), H1068 [13FE]

——— prohibit increasing minimum levels of financial responsibility requirements established for motor carriers for the transportation of passengers or property (see H.R. 2077), H2497 [28AP]

——— recognize hair as an alternative specimen for preemployment and random controlled substances testing of commercial motor vehicle drivers (see S. 806), S1660 [19MR] (see H.R. 1467), H1801 [19MR]

——— streamline the permitting process for rail and transit infrastructure (see S. 769), S1628 [18MR]

Dept. of Veterans Affairs: establish the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the U.S. merchant marine during World War II (see H.R. 563), H638 [27JA]

El Faro (vessel): recognize crew who died in sinking of ship during Hurricane Joaquin and search efforts of members of the Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force, and offer condolences to victims’ families and friends (see S. Res. 291), S7413 [21OC]

FEMA: establish the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) Subcommittee under the National Advisory Council (see S. 546), S1075 [24FE] (see H.R. 1043), H1113 [24FE]

Foreign trade: allow public-private partnerships to fund additional staffing and alternative financing for infrastructure improvements at land border ports of entry (see S. 461), S926 [11FE] (see H.R. 875), H980 [11FE]

Infrastructure: improve (see S. 268), S541 [27JA]

Labor unions: address slowdowns, strikes, and lock-outs occurring at U.S. ports (see S. 1519), S3776 [4JN] (see H.R. 3433), H5782 [31JY]

——— deter labor slowdowns at U.S. ports (see S. 1630), S4298 [18JN]

——— provide for mandatory appointment of a board of inquiry into slowdowns, strikes, or lock-outs when certain specified events occur (see H.R. 3932), H8149 [5NO]

National Freight Network Trust Fund: establish (see H.R. 935), H1034 [12FE]

Native Americans: exempt Indian tribes from compensatory mitigation requirements in connection with certain discharges of dredged or fill material (see H.R. 3270), H5589 [28JY]

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration: provide for direct hire authority for positions (see H.R. 3823), H7174 [23OC]

Public works: establish national policies and programs to strengthen freight-related infrastructure (see H.R. 198), H103 [7JA]

Railroads: ensure safety (see H.R. 1405), H1721 [17MR]

——— establish a local rail facilities and safety program to award grants for freight capacity projects (see H.R. 2933), H4770 [25JN]

——— improve safety of hazardous materials rail transportation (see S. 1175), S2568 [30AP]

——— require a minimum of 2-person crews for freight trains (see H.R. 1763), H2153 [13AP]

Roads and highways: authorize States to issue special permits to allow higher weight limitations on Federal highways for vehicles hauling livestock (see H.R. 3726), H6935 [8OC]

——— clarify regulation of the operation of longer combination vehicles on the Interstate Highway System in Idaho (see S. 538), S1074 [24FE] (see H.R. 129), H40 [6JA]

——— extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs (see H.R. 3763), H7026 [20OC] (see H.R. 3819), H7174 [23OC] (see H.R. 3996), H8239 [16NO]

Tariff: exempt from duty residue of bulk cargo contained in instruments of international traffic previously exported from the U.S. (see S. 989), S2244 [16AP] (see H.R. 1773), H2209 [14AP]

Transportation Research Board: study the impact of diverting certain freight rail traffic to avoid urban areas (see H.R. 1290), H1611 [4MR]

Transportation Security Administration: prepare a comprehensive security assessment of the transportation worker identification credentials (TWIC) program (see H.R. 710), H810 [4FE]

World War II: award a Congressional Gold Medal to the U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II (see H.R. 2992), H5028 [9JY]

Conference reports

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (H.R. 22), H8679–H8822 [1DE]

Explanations

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (H.R. 22): Payments From Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund to Certified States and Indian Tribes, H8997 [3DE]

Letters

Allow cargo shipped between two U.S. ports to be transported in non-U.S. built, owned, or crewed vessels: Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau Federation, S379 [22JA]

Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act: Representative McCaul, Committee on Homeland Security (House), H901 [10FE]

——— Representative Shuster, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (House), H901 [10FE]

Freight transportation regulations modernization: Daniel S. Jenkins, Jr., North Carolina Troopers Association, H3828 [3JN]

Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act: Representative Lamar Smith, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (House), E1600 [5NO]

——— Representative Shuster, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (House), E1600 [5NO]

Lists

El Faro (vessel) crew members, H6967 [9OC]

Remarks in House

Anderson Trucking Service, Inc.: anniversary, H9311 [15DE]

Arizona: designate the Sonoran Corridor connecting Interstate 19 to Interstate 10 south of Tucson International Airport as a future part of the Interstate Highway System (H.R. 2859), H4634 [24JN]

Bureau of Customs and Border Protection: submit a report on cross-border rail security (H.R. 2786), H6284 [28SE]

Coast Guard: cargo preference requirements for U.S.-flagged vessels enforcement funding, H3292 [18MY]

Corps of Engineers: port deepening projects funding, H2776 [1MY]

Dept. of Energy: study and report the maximum level of volatility that is consistent with the safest practicable shipment of crude oil by rail, H8959 [2DE]

Dept. of Homeland Security: administer a pilot program for 100 percent scanning of cargo containers at domestic ports (H.R. 2534), E776 [21MY]

——— develop a comprehensive strategy to gain and maintain operational control of the international borders of the U.S., H242 [13JA]

——— require terrorism threat assessment relative to transportation of chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological materials (H.R. 3350), H6989–H6991 [20OC], E1497 [21OC]

Dept. of Transportation: Bureau of Transportation Statistics collection and availability of data on U.S. ports’ performance, H7677 [4NO]

——— cancel pilot program to authorize teen truck drivers to obtain a commercial driver’s license to drive trucks across State lines, H7672, H7673 [4NO]

——— ensure safety of DOT–111 tank cars by improving standards for new tank cars and upgrading existing tank cars, H7601, H7602 [3NO]

——— extend the positive train control system implementation deadline, H7211–H7214 [27OC]

——— Federal Railroad Administration safety and operations funding through reductions in Federal Transit Administration New Starts program funding, H3847 [3JN]

——— improve safety standards for transporting crude oil by rail (H.R. 1804), E508 [15AP]

——— prohibit funding to implement, administer, or enforce regulations relative to rail tank car standards, H3886, H3887 [4JN]

Dept. of Veterans Affairs: establish the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the U.S. merchant marine during World War II, H2992 [14MY], H4055 [10JN]

——— establish the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the U.S. merchant marine during World War II (H.R. 563), H588 [27JA], H6900 [8OC], H7401 [3NO], E126 [27JA]

El Faro (vessel): offer condolences to victims of, and call for investigation into, sinking of ship during Hurricane Joaquin, H6965, H6966, H6967 [9OC], E1435 [6OC], E1459 [9OC], E1475 [13OC]

——— offer condolences to victims of sinking during Hurricane Joaquin, H6961 [9OC]

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: continue development, issuance, or implementation of regulations that increase minimum financial responsibility for transporting passengers or property, H3844 [3JN]

GAO: conduct study on economic impact of west coast ports ongoing labor contract negotiations, H7676 [4NO]

House of Representatives: moment of silence in memory of victims of sinking of El Faro (vessel) during Hurricane Joaquin, H6961 [9OC]

——— tribute to staff who worked on H.R. 22, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, H8996 [3DE]

Labor unions: provide for mandatory appointment of a board of inquiry into slowdowns, strikes, or lock-outs when certain specified events occur (H.R. 3932), E1602 [5NO]

Maritime Administration: Maritime Security Program funding, H6952, H6953 [9OC], H9686 [17DE]

Motor vehicles: allow for a limited number of automobile transporter vehicles to increase their length, H7619 [3NO]

National Freight Network Trust Fund: establish, H622 [27JA]

——— establish (H.R. 935), E207 [12FE]

Railroads: ensure safety (H.R. 1405), H3315 [19MY]

——— improve safety of hazardous materials rail transportation, H7413 [3NO]

Roads and highways: clarify definition of ‘‘critical commerce corridors’’, H7417 [3NO]

——— continue weight exemptions for trucks operating on certain segments of Texas State highways being converted into Interstate 69, H7615 [3NO]

——— extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs, H7272 [28OC], H7394, H7403–H7621 [3NO], H7633, H7641–H7740 [4NO], H8865 [2DE], H8974, H8975–H8983, H8988–H9000 [3DE], E1607, E1608, E1609, E1611 [5NO], E1715, E1716 [7DE], E1735 [8DE], E1758 [10DE], E1834 [18DE]

——— extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs (H.R. 3763), H7169 [23OC]

——— extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs (H.R. 3819), H7197, H7200, H7207–H7214, H7244 [27OC], E1550 [27OC]

——— extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs (H.R. 3996), H8213–H8217 [16NO]

Samuel Shapiro & Co., Inc.: anniversary, E1111 [23JY]

Ships and vessels: allow cargo shipped between two U.S. ports to be transported in non-U.S. built, owned, or crewed vessels, H484 [22JA]

Transportation: improve infrastructure, H7014–H7016 [20OC]

Transportation Security Administration: prepare a comprehensive security assessment of the transportation worker identification credentials (TWIC) program (H.R. 710), H899–H903 [10FE]

Trucking industry: tribute, H3651 [2JN]

Remarks in Senate

Dept. of Energy: authorize exploration, leasing, development, production, and economically feasible and prudent transportation of oil and gas in and from Coastal Plain in Alaska (S. 494), S989 [12FE]

Dept. of Transportation: extend the positive train control system implementation deadline, S7574, S7576–S7580 [28OC]

——— improve safety standards for transporting crude oil by rail, S6370 [5AU]

——— increase minimum levels of financial responsibility for transporting property (S. 1739), S5167 [16JY]

——— maintain regulation changing the hours-of-service rule for commercial truck drivers, S8074 [18NO]

——— streamline the permitting process for rail and transit infrastructure, S6114 [29JY]

El Faro (vessel): investigation into sinking of ship during Hurricane Joaquin, S7768 [4NO]

——— offer condolences to victims of, and call for investigation into, sinking of ship during Hurricane Joaquin, S7290 [19OC]

——— recognize crew who died in sinking of ship during Hurricane Joaquin and search efforts of members of the Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force, and offer condolences to victims’ families and friends (S. Res. 291), S7343 [20OC], S7425 [21OC]

Infrastructure: improve, S2829, S2833 [13MY]

——— improve (S. 268), S518 [27JA]

——— improvement funding through closing certain tax loopholes for offshore corporations, S1696, S1698, S1701–S1703 [23MR], S1742, S1748–S1750 [24MR], S2205 [15AP], S2625 [5MY]

International trade: establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relative to supporting trade and travel at ports of entry, S1966 [26MR]

Labor unions: address slowdowns, strikes, and lock-outs occurring at U.S. ports (S. 1519), S4243, S4254 [17JN], S5510 [23JY]

Roads and highways: extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs, S8227 [1DE], S8335, S8357–S8369 [3DE], S8428 [7DE], S8565 [10DE], S8660 [15DE], S8758, S8759 [17DE]

——— extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs (H.R. 3819), S7484 [26OC], S7567, S7570, S7574–S7580, S7586, S7587 [28OC]

——— extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs (H.R. 3819), unanimous-consent agreement, S7574 [28OC]

——— extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs (H.R. 3819), unanimous-consent request, S7574 [28OC]

——— extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs (H.R. 3996), S8030 [18NO]

——— extend Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other Highway Trust Fund-funded programs (H.R. 3996), unanimous-consent agreement, S8126 [19NO]

Senate: tribute to Members and staff who worked on H.R. 22, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, S8360 [3DE]

Ships and vessels: allow cargo shipped between two U.S. ports to be transported in non-U.S. built, owned, or crewed vessels, S222 [16JA], S378 [22JA], S539 [27JA]

Transportation Security Administration: prepare a comprehensive security assessment of the transportation worker identification credentials (TWIC) program (H.R. 710), S2319 [22AP]

Reports filed

Consideration of Conference Report on H.R. 22, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act: Committee on Rules (House) (H. Res. 546) (H. Rept. 114–360), H8970 [2DE]

Cross-Border Rail Security Act: Committee on Homeland Security (House) (H.R. 2786) (H. Rept. 114–233), H5587 [28JY]

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act: Committee of Conference (H.R. 22) (H. Rept. 114–357), H8859 [1DE]

Know the CBRN Terrorism Threats to Transportation Act: Committee on Homeland Security (House) (H.R. 3350) (H. Rept. 114–296), H7026 [20OC]

RESPONSE Act: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (Senate) (S. 546) (S. Rept. 114–85), S5210 [21JY]

Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (House) (H.R. 3763) (H. Rept. 114–318), H7346 [29OC]

Summaries

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (H.R. 22), H8990–H8992 [3DE]

Texts of

H. Res. 507, consideration of Senate amendments to H.R. 22, Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act, H7403 [3NO]

H. Res. 512, consideration of Senate amendments to H.R. 22, Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act, H7641 [4NO]

H. Res. 546, consideration of conference report on H.R. 22, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, H8975 [3DE]

H.R. 710, Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act, H899 [10FE]

H.R. 2786, Cross-Border Rail Security Act, H6284 [28SE]

H.R. 3350, Know the CBRN Terrorism Threats to Transportation Act, H6989 [20OC]

H.R. 3819, Surface Transportation Extension Act, H7207–H7211 [27OC]

H.R. 3996, Surface Transportation Extension Act, Part II, H8213–H8216 [16NO]

S. 461, Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act, S931 [11FE]

S. Res. 291, recognize crew of El Faro (vessel) who died in sinking of ship during Hurricane Joaquin and search efforts of members of the Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force, and offer condolences to victims’ families and friends, S7414 [21OC]