The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Senate section on pages S12929-S12930 on Oct. 20, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS
The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:
POM-367. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State of California relative to trucks entering California from foreign nations; to the Committee on Finance.
Assembly Joint Resolution No. 16
Whereas, A recent study by the United States Government Accounting Office (GAO) found that Mexican commercial trucks entering the United States often fail to meet basic safety standards; and
Whereas, The GAO reported that Mexican trucks entering the United States may have serious safety violations impacting highway safety, including broken suspension systems, substandard tires, inoperable brakes, overweight loads, and improperly maintained hazardous material loads; and
Whereas, The report of the federal Office of the Inspector General titled, ``Motor Carrier Safety Program for Commercial Trucks at U.S. Borders,'' issued on December 28, 1998, identified California as the only state that enforces the Federal Operating Authority Regulation and complimented California for having both the best inspection practices and the lowest out-of-service rate; and
Whereas, Mexico has no automated system by which California law enforcement officials can determine whether a Mexican commercial driver has a valid license or a driving or criminal record; and
Whereas, The government of Mexico has no laws limiting the maximum number of hours that drivers may safely operate a commercial vehicle and no system of worker's compensation insurance to protect drivers who are injured while at work; and
Whereas, Mexico's mandatory alcohol and drug testing program does not adequately test commercial drivers and its substance-abuse testing laboratory has not been certified by the United States Department of Transportation to meet internationally agreed-upon standards for accuracy; and
Whereas, ``Operation Alliance,'' a federally sponsored drug-enforcement coordinating agency and the United States Customs Service drug-inspection program found that drug traffickers are becoming owners of, or are obtaining controlling interests in, transportation businesses, such as trucking companies, warehouses, and semi-trailer manufacturing companies, in order to take advantage of the increased trucking trade authorized by the North American Free Trade Agreement; and
Whereas, The Southern California Association of Governments recently passed a resolution authorizing its regional council to alert the President of the United States to the ``major safety issues involved in trucking regulations under the North American Free Trade Agreement''; and
Whereas, The federal government has chosen not to implement the provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement that call for unlimited access by Mexican trucks to the territory of the State of California; now therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature memorializes the President and the Congress of the United States to maintain the existing restrictions on trucks from Mexico and other foreign nations entering California and to continue efforts to ensure full compliance by the owners and drivers of those trucks with all highway safety, environmental, and drug-enforcement laws; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and the Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the Governor.
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POM-368. A resolution adopted by the House of the Legislature of the State of Michigan relative to block grant amounts to the states through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program; to the Committee on Finance.
House Resolution No. 48
Whereas, A key component of the welfare reforms enacted in 1996 is the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families block grant program. The levels of these block grants were guaranteed for a five-year period as a means to help in the transformation of the nation's approach to welfare and helping people help themselves; and
Whereas, A proposal has surfaced in Washington to have the states return unobligated balances from the TANF block grant funding. The proposal has raised the concerns and opposition of state policymakers around the country who do not want the success of welfare reform to be derailed or threatened by reductions in this funding. This funding, as well as the flexibility to administer federal programs, is critical to genuine, meaningful, longstanding welfare reform; and
Whereas, Discussions on altering or reducing block grant programs for needy families also include proposed changes in Medicaid options, social services block grants, child support initiatives, and efforts to secure health insurance coverages for children. The possibility of bringing new conditions for the expenditure of funds or cuts in the amounts of block grants has generated considerable concern across the country; and
Whereas, The reforms brought to the country's approach to welfare in 1996 also represented a significant step in the relationship between Washington and the states. This new partnership allowed and even encouraged the ``laboratories of democracy'' to find solutions that account for the unique resources and needs of each state. Michigan's success and the similar achievements across the nation should not be jeopardized by Washington reclaiming money promised to the states; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize the Congress of the United Stats to reject any reduction in block grant amounts to the states through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program or any changes in conditions or requirements that reduce the flexibility of the states, 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, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.
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