On Thursday, U.S. Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Jim Costa (D-CA) introduced legislation to secure the U.S. supply chain during emergencies.
The legislation, Modernizing Operations for Vehicle in Emergencies (MOVE) Act would modernize federal legislation to expand the definition of emergency and give states the authority to waive vehicle weight requirements to keep the supply chain moving.
“It’s more important than ever to ensure goods are moving in an emergency,” Johnson said. “The MOVE Act is another way to remove unnecessary roadblocks and red tape in our supply chain to prevent another crisis like we saw during and in the aftermath of the pandemic.”
Currently, states have the authority to waive federal weight limits on the interstate highway system to allow shippers to get supplies to communities in times of disaster. However, many emergencies, like the Covid-19 pandemic, do not meet the federal standards needed to grant that flexibility under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The MOVE Act would expand the circumstances under which the Federal Government would allow states to waive Federal Weight limits, and allow declarations to remain in effect for 270 days to allow time for needed response, instead of the current 120 days.
“During times of emergency and the pandemic, struggling communities in my district were hit hardest by roadblocks to our supply chain,” Costa said. “This bipartisan legislation will remove barriers that prevent us from delivering vital relief when communities need it most.”
The legislation is supported by the American Trucking Association (ATA) and the Shippers Coalition.
“When hospitals and nursing homes are low on medicine, families are running out of food and water, and electricity is nonexistent, the last thing communities responding to natural disasters should have to worry about is bureaucratic red tape delaying truck drivers from moving relief supplies as quickly as possible,” ATA President & CEO Chris Spear said. “We commend Congressman Johnson on introducing this commonsense measure that will allow trucks to expedite the delivery of relief wherever and whenever it is needed.”