STANDUP Legislative Update ~ August 31, 2009
STANDUP Legislative Update
August 31, 2009
While Members of Congress were in their home districts for the month of August, the Saferoads4teens Coalition was still working hard on H.R. 1895, the Safe Teen And Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act.
As you know, the transportation reauthorization bill (now known as the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 or STAA) drafted by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee does not, at this time, include the provisions of the STANDUP Act. Regardless, there are still opportunities to include the STANDUP language in STAA or to pursue passage of STANDUP as a stand-alone bill in this Congress.
The leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have stated they plan to move ahead with a mark-up of STAA when they return. However, both the Obama Administration and the Senate leaders support extending the current transportation authorization law for 18 months, rather than passing a new six-year authorization bill.
Whether the STANDUP provisions are included in STAA or whether it is pursued as a stand-alone bill, it is crucial that we add co-sponsors to H.R. 1895 to demonstrate strong support for passage. Having additional co-sponsors will enable us to be ready to move the bill either as part of the full transportation reauthorization or as a stand-alone bill in the coming months. Now that Congress is returning from recess next week, we need to focus our efforts on encouraging co-sponsorship. With your help, we will continue to recruit co-sponsors for the bill.
Look for more updates in the coming weeks to keep you informed on Saferoads4teens Coalition efforts to push enactment of the STANDUP Act. Thank you for your assistance and support!
