House bill would cap hazmat endorsement fee at $50
The Trucker News Services
2/22/2007
House bill would cap hazmat endorsement fee at $50
WASHINGTON (Feb. 22, 2007) — Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-Mo., has a bill in Congress that would cap the fee truckers pay for the Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) at $50.
Typically, truckers now pay $94 for the endorsement.
In a news release, Carnahan said he introduced H.R. 1079, the Professional Driver Background Check Efficiency Act, in response to the current hazardous materials background check procedures which cause professional drivers a substantial loss of time, income and out-of-pocket expenses.
He said the legislation would reduce the substantial burden placed on drivers and require government to be more efficient.
In the previous Congress, Carnahan introduced H.R. 5560, which intended to reduce the duplication and bureaucracy in background checks across federal agencies. Two of the provisions were signed into law as part of the SAFE Port Act; H.R. 1079 will further progress the government's obligation to act effectively with minimal waste.
As a result of the SAFE Port Act, drivers who have already undergone and passed an HME background check are not subject to an additional check nor will they be subjected to an additional fee.
Furthermore, the SAFE Port Act provides that the Government Accountability Office report to Congress on background checks similar to the Hazardous Materials Endorsement background check, identify any duplicity within the systems, and make recommendations for increasing efficiencies across and within agencies.
"This is a classic example of unnecessary government redundancy,“ Carnahan said. “I am proud that two provisions of my previous bill have been signed into law, and I look forward to passing this bill to make government more efficient and reduce the financial burden placed on professional drivers."
Carnahan said he introduced the bill after the situation was brought to his attention by a constituent.
Jim Johnson, president of the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association, applauded Carnahan's efforts.
“In addition to defraying the excessive out-of-pocket costs associated with obtaining a hazardous materials endorsement, this legislation will compel the TSA to put together a much more efficient background check process than it currently operates and it will positively influence how future threat assessment procedures are designed by government agencies,“ Johnson wrote in a letter to Carnahan.
“Small business truckers and professional drivers have found the background check process that has been put in place by the TSA for general hazmat endorsements to be wrought with inefficiencies that cause them unnecessary time and financial burdens,“ he said. “This legislation not only cuts the fees associated with attaining a hazmat endorsement by roughly half, it also provides the TSA with strong incentives to ensure that the security threat assessment systems that they have in place are designed and implemented with the highest degree of efficiency.”
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
— The Trucker News Services
