[Senate Report 116-294]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                       Calendar No. 587


116th Congress   }                                          {    Report
                              SENATE                          
2d Session       }                                          {    116-294
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     

                                                       

             MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY GRANT RELIEF ACT OF 2020

                               __________

                              R E P O R T

                                 of the

           COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                                   on

                                S. 3729




               November 16, 2020.--Ordered to be printed
               
               
               
                           ______

             U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
19-010                WASHINGTON : 2020               
               
               
               
       SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                     one hundred sixteenth congress
                             second session

                 ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi, Chairman
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota             MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
ROY BLUNT, Missouri                  AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
TED CRUZ, Texas                      RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska                BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas                  EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska                 TOM UDALL, New Mexico
CORY GARDNER, Colorado               GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee          TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia  TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
MIKE LEE, Utah                       JON TESTER, Montana
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin               KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona
TODD C. YOUNG, Indiana               JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
RICK SCOTT, Florida
                       John Keast, Staff Director
               David Strickland, Minority Staff Director
               
               
               

                                                       Calendar No. 587
                                                       
                                                       
116th Congress  }                                             {   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session     }                                             {   116-294

======================================================================



 
             MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY GRANT RELIEF ACT OF 2020

                                _______
                                

               November 16, 2020.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

       Mr. Wicker, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 3729]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to 
which was referred the bill (S. 3729) to provide relief for the 
recipients of financial assistance awards from the Federal 
Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and for other purposes, 
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of S. 3729 is to provide States additional time 
and flexibility to use and redistribute Federal Motor Carrier 
Safety Administration (FMCSA) grant awards, which States rely 
on to support key commercial motor vehicle safety programs.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEEDS

    FMCSA administers several grant programs that are funded 
from the Highway Trust Fund, including the Motor Carrier Safety 
Assistance Program (MCSAP), High Priority (HP), and Commercial 
Driver's License Program Implementation (CDLPI) grants. These 
formula and discretionary grants provide financial assistance 
to States to improve motor carrier safety by reducing the 
number and severity of crashes and hazardous materials 
incidents involving commercial motor vehicles (CMVs); enhancing 
commercial vehicle safety plans; maintaining innovative 
technologies that improve safety; and helping achieve 
compliance with Federal motor carrier safety regulations. The 
Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act\1\ 
reauthorized these grant programs for fiscal years 2016 through 
2020.
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    \1\Public Law 114-94.
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    As States have responded to the impacts of the COVID-19 
pandemic, many have seen a temporary reduction in their 
commercial motor vehicle safety enforcement activities, such as 
roadside inspections, compliance reviews, and safety audits, as 
well as their ability to make purchases, which are necessary in 
order to qualify for FMCSA grants. For instance, some 
jurisdictions have had to reassign enforcement personnel or 
implement social distancing policies to protect inspectors and 
drivers, resulting in fewer activities being conducted and 
lower expenses being incurred that would be eligible for 
financial assistance from FMCSA grant programs. States are also 
having challenges with the ability to complete necessary 
purchases within the fiscal year. For example, some States that 
had placed vehicle orders may have difficulties fulfilling the 
orders this fiscal year due to declines in vehicle 
manufacturing and production.
    Given the unusual challenges presented by COVID-19, States 
may not be able to spend their FMCSA grant funds before these 
funds expire at the end of the fiscal year. S. 3729 would 
address these challenges by providing States with an additional 
year to spend FMCSA grant funds and providing FMCSA with the 
authority to retain and redistribute any unused grant funds at 
the end of the fiscal year.

                         SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS

    S. 3729, the Motor Carrier Safety Grant Relief Act of 2020, 
would do the following:
   Authorize the Secretary of Transportation to provide 
        an extra year for States to spend funds awarded for 
        fiscal years 2019 and 2020 through the MCSAP, CDLPI, 
        and HP grants.
   Authorize the Secretary of Transportation to retain 
        and redistribute unallocated funds at the end of the 
        grant period for fiscal years 2019 and 2020.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    S. 3729 was introduced on May 13, 2020, by Senator Wicker 
(for himself and Senators Cantwell, Thune, Fischer, and 
Duckworth) and was referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate. On May 20, 2020, the 
Committee met in open Executive Session and, by voice vote, 
ordered S. 3729 reported favorably without amendment.

                            ESTIMATED COSTS

    In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the 
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget 
Office:




    S. 3729 would extend the obligation period by one year for 
certain funds provided to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration (FMCSA) in fiscal years 2019 and 2020. Under 
current law, the obligation period for the affected funds 
ranges between two and five fiscal years, depending on the 
particular program. S. 3729 also would stipulate that any funds 
released to FMCSA that would have expired under current law 
would not be subject to obligation limitations provided in 
appropriation laws.
    Using information from FMCSA about the amount of 
unobligated balances for the programs that would be affected by 
the bill and the percentage of those programs' funds that 
expired in recent years, CBO estimates that enacting S. 3729 
would increase direct spending by an insignificant amount each 
year between 2021 and 2027 and would total about $750,000 over 
the 2020-2030 period. The additional spending would stem from 
amounts that CBO estimates will expire under current law that 
would instead remain available to obligate and outlay under the 
bill.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Robert Reese. 
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Director of Budget Analysis.

                      REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

    In accordance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the 
following evaluation of the regulatory impact of the 
legislation, as reported:

Number of Persons Covered

    S. 3729, as reported, would not impose any new regulatory 
requirements on businesses.

Economic Impact

    S. 3729, as reported, is not expected to have an adverse 
impact on the Nation's economy.

Privacy

    S. 3729, as reported, is not expected to have an adverse 
impact on the personal privacy of individuals.

Paperwork

    S. 3729, as reported, would not increase the paperwork 
requirements for private individuals or businesses. The bill 
would provide additional time and flexibility for States to use 
and redistribute FMCSA grant awards, which States rely on to 
support key commercial motor vehicle programs.

                   CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

    In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no 
provisions contained in the bill, as reported, meet the 
definition of congressionally directed spending items under the 
rule.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title

    This section would provide that the bill may be cited as 
the ``Motor Carrier Safety Grant Relief Act of 2020''.

Section 2. Relief for recipients of financial assistance awards from 
        the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

    This section would provide States with an extra year to 
spend funds awarded for fiscal years 2019 and 2020 through the 
MCSAP, CDLPI, and HP grants. In addition, this section would 
authorize the Secretary of Transportation to keep and 
redistribute unallocated funds at the end of the grant period 
for fiscal years 2019 and 2020.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the 
bill as reported would make no change to existing law.