Transportation Bill Moves
Oct 31, 2007
| BILL NAME | SUMMARY OF BILL AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU | U.S. CHAMBER'S POSITION | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation Funding H.R. 3074 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008 | This bill addresses the enormous demands of the U.S. transportation infrastructure system by maintaining full funding for highway and transit programs as provided under current law. However, an amendment to the bill prohibits the implementation of the Department of Transportation's Cross-Border Trucking Program, which allows a limited number of Mexican trucks to operate beyond the 20–25 mile commercial zones along the U.S. border for one year. | The Chamber supports the funding provided in H.R. 3074 but opposes the amendment that delays a long overdue step toward reducing congestion and air pollution at the U.S.-Mexico border while promoting growth and jobs. | H.R. 3074 passed the House July 24, 2007, and the Senate September 12, 2007. |
| Internet Tax Moratorium H.R. 3678 Internet Tax Freedom Act of 2007 | This bill would extend to 2011 the current moratorium on Internet access taxes and multiple and discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce. The current moratorium expires November 1, 2007. | The Chamber supports legislation that encourages the growth of the digital economy by permanently banning Internet access taxes and multiple and discriminatory taxes on goods and services purchased online. | H.R. 3678 passed the House October 16, 2007. |
| Redefining Supervisors H.R. 1644 Re-Empowerment Of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradesworkers (RESPECT) Act | This bill would change the National Labor Relation Act's definition of supervisor so that more management employees would be included in union bargaining units. Specifically, the bill would exclude all management employees who do not spend a majority of their time performing supervisory responsibilities from the supervisory exemption of current labor law and would subject them to union organizing and union discipline. | The Chamber opposes this unnecessary and far-reaching bill, which flies in the face of more than 50 years of settled labor law. | H.R. 1644 voted out of the Education and Labor Committee September 19, 2007. |
| ADA Expansion S. 1881 Americans with Disabilities Act Restoration Act of 2007 | S. 1881 would change the definition of disability so that any individual with an impairment, such as poor eyesight correctable by wearing glasses, would be considered disabled and would trigger the employer's duty to accommodate. By contrast, ADA's current definition requires individuals to have an impairment that "substantially limits one or more of the major life activities." | The Chamber opposes this bill because it would expand the opportunity for frivolous litigation and would destroy the delicate balance of interests that permitted ADA to be enacted with broad support. | Introduced and referred to four committees of jurisdiction July 26, 2007. |
| Arbitration Fairness H.R. 3010 Arbitration Fairness Act | This bill would eliminate the use of predispute arbitration clauses in future consumer, employment, and franchise contracts and would nullify predispute arbitration clauses in existing contracts if a contract dispute arises after enactment of the legislation. | The Chamber opposes this bill because it would severely damage an alternative dispute resolution system that consumers and businesses have relied on for decades, disrupt current commercial arbitration practices, and increase litigation. | H.R. 3010 referred to House Judiciary subcommittee August 10, 2007. |
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