Call ALL Congressmen and Senators Today!
HR 22 Section 1439 is NOW HR 22 Section 5514!
HR 22 Sec 5514 to regulate all non-consent towing will likely be voted on by the House this Friday! A story on the proposed Act was featured by a Washington DC news outlet last week (http://wjla.com/features/7-on-your-side/7-on-your-side-cracking-down-on-predatory-towing). Everyone needs to contact their congressman and senators immediately to ask that HR 22 Sec 5514 be tweaked to reflect the Act's original intent- Private Property Impound. Vital information for contacting your congressman and senators is on our website (http://traaonline.com/legislative-update-regulation-of-motor-carriers-of-property/).
TRAA's proposed amendment to simply add "or a law enforcement official." to the end of the section would clarify the true intent of this legislation.
Below are links for contacting your congressman and senators.
Action Item #1
Section 5514 (formerly Section 1439) on H.R. 22 - 2015 Highway Funding Bill
SEC. 1439. REGULATION OF MOTOR CARRIERS OF PROPERTY
Section 14501 (c)(2)(C) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking "the price of' and all that follows through "transportation is" and inserting "the regulation of tow truck operations".
The Conference Committee met on 11/18/15. There has been an extension to 12/4/2015 to finalize the conference agreement. It is imperative that everyone contact their Representatives and Senators on the Committee IMMEDIATELY to change Section 1439.
Conference Committee Contact List
Action Item #2
SA 2846 to H.R. 2577
SA 2846. Mr. CARDIN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2812 proposed by Ms. Collins (for herself and Mr. Reed) to the bill H.R. 2577, making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
On page 46, between lines 9 and 10, insert the following:
Sec. 138. Section 14501(c)(2)(C) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking "the price of for-hire motor vehicle transportation by a tow truck, if such transportation is'' and inserting "the regulation of tow truck operations''.
It is imperative that everyone contacts their Senator today regarding SA 2846! Below is a link to the full Senate contact list.
http://www.senate.gov/senators/states.htm
We need everyone's voice to stop this amendment as written or risk the regulation of the entire towing industry. This will impact towers in every state and county across the United States.
The TRAA Press Release and TRAA Official Response documents linked below provide background on the proposed Towing Law. We recommend using the talking points in the TRAA Call to Action document below. The time to act is now!
The above links can also be found on www.traaonline.com.
TRAA has been the "The Voice of America's Towing Industry" for over 35 years. Our mission is to serve the needs of the towing and recovery industry through legislation, education and communication. Working diligently with state associations and members we strive for professionalism and a fair and profitable industry. Our National Driver Certification Program (NDCP) developed through a grant from the Federal Department of Transportation is recognized as the national standards for tow truck operators. TRAA is proud to have contributed to the safety of our industry through the certification of over 16,000 tow operators across the country.
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Joanne Blyton, Legislative Chair
at 888.392.9300 or email at contact@traaonline.com.