Transportation Bill Includes Hours of Service Exemption

By CnAgri2012-07-02 20:36:11 Print

Wisconsin Congressman Reid Ribble says passage of the so-called Transportation Bill on Friday is a victory for many sectors of rural America, including agriculture. The Appleton Republican was a member of the conference committee that helped iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. He said this is the first time in seven years that a long-term transportation bill has moved forward on the national level.

"I'm glad that both parties and both chambers found common ground on this important issue," Ribble said after the House approved the measure on a vote of 373-52. "After three years of stop and start extensions, I'm happy that we can finally move forward with a bipartisan, multi-year highway bill that will restore some much-needed certainty in our economy."

He says he's particularly proud of the work done by the panel to streamline construction projects. Ribble offered an amendment in the House to cut the bureaucratic red tape that prevents building roads and bridges in a timely and cost effective manner. He also implemented several other provisions that will benefit Wisconsin directly, such as keeping small transit systems like Green Bay Metro and Valley Transit up and running.

One element of the program clarifies the Hours of Service exemptions for agricultural products, ensuring that Wisconsin farmers can haul their products in a timely manner without excessive burdens. Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Bill Bruins says that is an importation provision for state producers. Cooperative Network also praised the hours of service exemption, saying it removes significant delivery constraints for farm products.

"In the past, Cooperative Network has sought numerous emergency declarations from governors of both Minnesota and Wisconsin to lift the hours-of-service rules to assure that farmers could care for and harvest their crops within the limited windows of opportunity dictated by weather conditions," said CN CEO Bill Oemichen. "With this change, there will be no further need to seek such declarations."

Specifically, the legislation clarifies that all movements of farm supplies throughout the distribution chain are covered, including wholesale shipments, and expands the existing 100 air-mile radius to 150 air-miles. Moreover, it will not matter if the shipment is interstate or intrastate.

President Obama signed the measure the same day.