Harriet M. Hageman

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1530. If we pass this rule, the House will vote on legislation to continue to root out rampant fraud and deliver crucial deregulation to the benefit of the American consumer.

Notably, this rule covers two Congressional Review Act joint resolutions offered by Representatives Gallagher and Fong, and I thank them for their leadership on this issue.

The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to terminate bad regulations, a vital check over the ever-growing administrative state.

Under this Republican majority, we have used the CRA 24 times to achieve a truly bold deregulatory agenda. The two joint resolutions this rule tees up are part of this strategy. If this rule passes, the House will be able to terminate two more California Clean Air Act waivers approved by the EPA.

The Clean Air Act, which codifies Federal jurisdiction over emissions, preempts all State emission standards. California, however, is not preempted. It can develop its own emissions standards and request a waiver that the EPA must approve, subject to limited disqualifying conditions.

California is abusing this State waiver process in a manner with national policy implications that harm consumers.

First, section 177 of the Clean Air Act allows other States to adopt these California standards, which 17 States and the District of Columbia have done.

Second, because California is one of the largest State-based economies, vehicle manufacturers abide by their overly stringent standards, as it would not be economical to make certain vehicles for the California market and others for the Wyoming market.

This subjects Wyoming to California law, undermining our State authorities and Federal law to subject us to climate lunacy policies with devastating consequences for consumer choice, safety, and prices.

Congress took a bold step in negating five of these existing waivers last year, and by passing this rule, we can get to work on two more.

I would also note that there are four other CRA joint resolutions pending, one of which I have cosponsored, that Congress must act upon to meet the moment.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support House Resolution 1530 and the underlying legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1530. If we pass this rule, the House will vote on legislation to continue to root out rampant fraud and deliver crucial deregulation to the benefit of the American consumer.

Notably, this rule covers two Congressional Review Act joint resolutions offered by Representatives Gallagher and Fong, and I thank them for their leadership on this issue.

The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to terminate bad regulations, a vital check over the ever-growing administrative state.

Under this Republican majority, we have used the CRA 24 times to achieve a truly bold deregulatory agenda. The two joint resolutions this rule tees up are part of this strategy. If this rule passes, the House will be able to terminate two more California Clean Air Act waivers approved by the EPA.

The Clean Air Act, which codifies Federal jurisdiction over emissions, preempts all State emission standards. California, however, is not preempted. It can develop its own emissions standards and request a waiver that the EPA must approve, subject to limited disqualifying conditions.

California is abusing this State waiver process in a manner with national policy implications that harm consumers.

First, section 177 of the Clean Air Act allows other States to adopt these California standards, which 17 States and the District of Columbia have done.

Second, because California is one of the largest State-based economies, vehicle manufacturers abide by their overly stringent standards, as it would not be economical to make certain vehicles for the California market and others for the Wyoming market.

This subjects Wyoming to California law, undermining our State authorities and Federal law to subject us to climate lunacy policies with devastating consequences for consumer choice, safety, and prices.

Congress took a bold step in negating five of these existing waivers last year, and by passing this rule, we can get to work on two more.

I would also note that there are four other CRA joint resolutions pending, one of which I have cosponsored, that Congress must act upon to meet the moment.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support House Resolution 1530 and the underlying legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am here and we have gathered this evening to talk about Trucker Appreciation Week.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the unsung heroes who spend their days hauling the American Dream across our Nation's highways.

America's truckers are the men and women who keep America moving. They drive for hours on end to make sure that our shelves are stocked. They rush in to deliver lifesaving supplies when disaster strikes. They keep our industries running by delivering the raw materials needed to build our country. Simply put, truckers are the reason Americans have and continue to live in an era of unprecedented prosperity.

Unfortunately, our truckers face challenges from the lingering consequences of years of open borders and political leaders who flooded the Nation's highways with unqualified, foreign drivers who undercut our homegrown American labor. These new foreign drivers not only undermine wages and opportunities for American truckers but exacerbate the shortage of infrastructure to keep our goods moving.

Worst of all, however, are the deadly crashes caused by these unqualified drivers who have been killing Americans, all of which have been made possible by the intentional decision of some to disregard commonsense Federal safety standards.

The highway tragedies that have become so ubiquitous in the last couple of years have shone a spotlight on those collisions that could have been prevented but for the decisions by States like California, New York, and Illinois to unleash tens of thousands of unqualified drivers on our American freeways.

These high-speed, 80,000-pound guided missiles have been barreling down our highways at 80 miles an hour, leaving way too many victims in their wake, and these illegally licensed drivers who have killed our fellow American residents simply have no business being on our roads.

My home State of Wyoming, home to snow-covered and windswept highways built at elevations higher than the Sierra Nevada, suffers the highest rate of fatal truck crashes of any State. Threats to drivers anywhere are threats to families everywhere.

The status quo is unacceptable, and it is time to prioritize our hardworking American truckers while keeping every motorist safe.

I have introduced a series of bills to clean up our roads and crack down on bad actors who are exploiting loopholes in the system. I introduced the Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act to require that all testing for commercial driver's licenses be administered in English.

I also introduced Connor's Law with Representative Dave Taylor to codify the Trump administration's reinstatement of longstanding English proficiency requirements for anyone getting behind the wheel of a big rig. Understanding our national language to read our signs, adhere to warnings about hazardous conditions, and communicate with law enforcement should be the bare minimum to operate a commercial vehicle.

I introduced the SAFE Act, included in this year's surface transportation reauthorization package, to enhance the ability of Federal regulators to effectively detect and crack down on chameleon carriers.

Chameleon carriers are those that rack up safety violations yet continue to operate by adopting new identities to drive under the radar.

The SAFE Act has been endorsed by nearly a dozen major industry advocates, including the American Trucking Association, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Teamsters, Truckload Carriers Association, Truck Safety Coalition, American Truckers United, National Tank Truck

Carriers, Transportation Intermediaries Association, and American Bus Association.

I also introduced the ROUTE Act to expand opportunities for young CDL holders to operate across State lines.

Right now, an 18-year-old licensed to carry a load and travel 450 miles from Cheyenne to Jackson, Wyoming, is prohibited from making the same trip just 45 miles to Fort Collins, Colorado, because the latter journey crosses State lines.

Easing nonsensical regulatory barriers will help bring more young people into a promising profession without the burden of a costly college degree.

I most recently introduced the STOP Improper Licensing Act, requiring continued oversight of States issuing non-domiciled CDLs to drivers, ensuring that standards are properly adhered to. This bill withholds funds for any States refusing to comply with commonsense Federal safety standards.

America's truckers make our modern life possible, and they have improved our standard of living. They deserve leadership and support to make their profession safe and profitable.

By working together and passing this series of pieces of legislation, the Wild West of trucking undermining American truckers and threatening our families will finally be over.

I thank my colleagues for participating in this evening's Special Order, and I thank the Congressional Trucking Caucus and the group's chairman, Congressman Dave Taylor of Ohio, for collaborating on these issues.

I also thank the industry groups which have supported our efforts to get critical legislation past the finish line to lift the men and women who keep America moving.

I thank every truck driver in this great country. We appreciate them and what they do for us.

I now yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) to address the body.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman) to address the body.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) to address the body.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller) to address the body.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Miller for her remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann) to address the body.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Mann for his comments.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Shreve) to address the body this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Shreve for his words.

In summary, I think that the message to be taken away this evening, Mr. Speaker, is that we all have an enormous amount of respect for our trucking companies and our truck drivers who make this country run.

I have just a few anecdotes about Wyoming. We are the least populated State in the Nation. We became a State in 1890.

I have had the opportunity to meet with several family-owned businesses in Wyoming, family-owned trucking companies. One of them was one of the very first trucking companies that was ever formed in the State in the late 1800s. They used horses and wagons to haul goods from the oil fields to their destination. This is a family-owned business for over 130 years.

Another interesting tidbit about Wyoming is that we can have terribly treacherous roads. I-80 crosses Wyoming. It is one of the longest continental highways in the United States. It goes from the East Coast to the West Coast. In Wyoming the very highest point is between Cheyenne and Laramie, and it is over 8,000 feet.

There are many occasions when highway I-80 is closed because of the snow and the wind, and it is non-traversable. We have truck drivers who are some of the first ones on any scene of an accident, and they are the ones who continue to move the goods across this country.

That is also one of the reasons why it is imperative, as so many have spoken about this evening, that we have people who are well-trained, that understand our English language, that can read our variable speed and variable signs as they drive down the highway in Wyoming and other States.

Again, that is why I so appreciate our trucking companies and our truckers for the work that they do. Oftentimes, they take their own lives in their hands when they are crossing Wyoming to deliver goods from the East Coast to the West Coast, and they provide a valuable service.

Mr. Speaker, in this Trucker Appreciation Week, one more time, I thank the men and women who have made this profession their own for the work that they do.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.