State Watch – March/April 2021
Since the first of the year, statehouses have been filled with a flurry of legislative activity. This is a snapshot roundup of issues important to truckers that are being considered.
Arizona
Truck enforcement is the topic of one Arizona House bill. HB2447 would limit the state Department of Transportation to enforce vehicle rules to within 5 miles of an Arizona port of entry, and to within 1 mile of a port of entry on the border between Arizona and Mexico.
Arkansas
Pursuit is underway in the Arkansas Senate to amend the state’s constitution to free up funding for more roadways. The state constitution specifies that revenue collected via a 0.5% transportation sales tax be used solely for four-lane roadways. SB75 would revise the constitution to remove references to four-lane highways and replace it with multilane highways.
Maryland
A Senate bill would prohibit the Maryland Transportation Authority from charging a toll at the Francis Scott Key Bridge for large trucks on the Inner Loop of Interstate 695 that need to access the Broening Highway. SB422 would require MDTA to direct trucks not traversing the bridge into a toll-free lane through the toll plaza or construct a lane bypassing the toll plaza.
Minnesota
Two Minnesota bills are intended to protect law enforcement officers from requirements to pull over and ticket drivers.
HF244/SF313 would add a prohibition on agencies from using the number of citations, arrests or the number of stops made or traffic enforcement activity as criteria to evaluate the officer’s job performance.
New Mexico
One New Mexico Senate bill covers transportation funds already available to the state. SB73 would require fees imposed by the Federal Unified Carrier Registration Act of 2005 be deposited into the Motor Transportation Fee Fund.
New York
A New York Senate bill would prohibit idling of large vehicles statewide for more than three consecutive minutes. State law now limits idling time to five consecutive minutes. S3119 would apply the rule to trucks and buses with a gross vehicle weight in excess of 8,500 pounds. Any local law or ordinance would be preempted.
Oklahoma
An Oklahoma Senate bill covers a rule targeting ticket quotas. SB346 would outlaw local governments and police departments from requiring officers to issue a certain number of citations within a specific period of time. Additionally, agencies would be prohibited from evaluating personnel based on the number of tickets written or arrests made.
South Carolina
Two South Carolina House bills cover use of surveillance devices that are commonly referred to as “stingrays.” The devices are used by police and other law enforcement agencies. The equipment mimics cellphone towers and allows law enforcement to track the movements of anyone nearby with a cellphone. The numbers of people’s incoming and outgoing calls and text messages also are captured.
H3138 calls for ending existing programs used in the state, and it prohibits new programs.
H3150 would prohibit law enforcement agencies from purchasing the devices from companies that require nondisclosure agreements.
Virginia
Virginia House lawmakers voted unanimously to advance a bill to the Senate to put into statute the federal rule authorizing electric battery-powered large vehicles to exceed the 80,000-pound limit.
HB1850 would increase the maximum gross vehicle weight for commercial vehicles powered by electric battery power by 2,000 pounds to 82,000 pounds.
Wyoming
A Wyoming House bill would introduce a pay-by-mile system, or road user charge. HB37 calls for fuel tax collection to begin to be phased out in favor of a road user charge in March 2022.
Motorists would pay 2.15 cents per mile traveled on state roadways. Depending on the size of the truck, professional drivers would pay from 10.32 cents to 14.35 cents per mile.
Over time, the fuel tax would be indexed to maintain alignment with road use charges. LL