Update on Status of EOBR Mandate in Highway Bill

Posted on April 3, 2012 
Filed Under HOURS OF SERVICE, POLITICS

Last week, the House passed a 90 day extension of the existing highway bill. I am not totally sure, but I think all that does is authorize the money spigot to keep running for another 90 days. It does not include any other mandates or regulations in it.

I heard an interview with Speaker Boehner where he indicated the House would attempt to pass its own version of the Highway Bill when the House returns from recess in 2 weeks. I view this as good news. I had feared the House would simply vote on the Senate version of the bill, which contains the EOBR mandate. If they draft their own bill, it almost certainly will not have the EOBR mandate in it.

Once the House passes its version of the Highway Bill, then the bill will go to a conference committee made up of selected members of the House and Senate. They will take the House bill (no EOBR), and the Senate bill (EOBR), negotiate and trade, until the have one version of the bill. Then that bill must pass both the House and Senate. For all you EOBR opponents, you have to hope the House members on the Conference Committee don’t agree to the EOBR mandate in exchange for something else, like the Keystone pipeline, or something.

The point I would make to the GOP members of the House and Senate is this: the EOBR mandate was identified by the Obama Administration as one of their 7 most expensive rulemakings last year. They estimated it would cost $2 billion, which is even more than the hours of service boondoggle FMCSA has put forth. If the Obama Administration is estimating it will cost $2 billion, you know it will really cost $5 – 10 billion. As Joe Biden would say, “it’s a big f*cking deal”. It is not something to be casually traded away to the Democrats. At any rate, the tale will be told in the conference committee, probably taking place by the end of the month.

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