The House has passed the conference report on a measure that funds the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the space program. The bill also contains a Continuing Resolution, which will fund the government until December 16, 2011.
The conference agreement contains a number of important provisions for Maine. Congressman Mike Michaud's top priority was making sure that a fix for Maine's truck weight problem was contained in the bill, and he worked with Democratic and Republican leaders in the House to make sure that the provision survived.
"Mainers already know the benefits of this commonsense provision," said Michaud. "Letting heavier trucks use the Interstate reduces fuel consumption, cuts emissions, reduces travel times and reduces the competitive disadvantage between Maine and our neighbors. I would like to thank House leaders for supporting my efforts to ensure that this provision was included in the final bill."
While Michaud strongly supports the 20 year agreement to allow heavy trucks on Maine's Interstate and fought hard to ensure it was included in the final deal, he's continuing to push forward with a bill he authored to allow Maine to make the change permanent. Michaud's bill, the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act, currently has 57 bipartisan cosponsors and has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID).
Another top priority of Michaud's was making sure that the USDA didn't include restrictions on starchy vegetables like potatoes in their new dietary guidelines for the School Meals Program. Michaud worked with his colleagues from around the country to pressure Secretary Tom Vilsack to reconsider the rule. Michaud also sent a letter to the members of Congress on the conference committee for this bill urging them to retain language that fixed the USDA rule.
"USDA's recent rule was clearly flawed," said Michaud. "It would not only have limited a whole class of nutritious vegetables, but it would have hurt our state's potato industry. In addition, USDA itself estimated it would cost local school district's as much as $6.8 billion over five years to implement. At a time when state and local agencies are facing substantial budget reductions, this is the wrong time to be passing such a poorly drafted regulation like this."
In addition, Michaud led a letter signed by a number of his colleagues requesting additional funding to expand efforts to monitor and investigate China's industrial policies in order to enforce World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and create a more level playing field for American workers and businesses. The final agreement contained a boost in funding for the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to carry out this increased enforcement effort. Specifically, the final agreement contains a total of $51.25 million for enforcement and directs the USTR to hire no fewer than four additional staff members for the monitoring and enforcement office. It also says that the new staffers must be fluent in Chinese; monitor and enforce China's compliance with its WTO obligations; and assist in early stage identification and review of trade measures arising out of China.
"Economic gains here in the U.S. can be undercut by China's unfair trade policies," said Michaud. "That's why it's so important that we have more trade enforcement resources specifically focused on China. As we've seen with their illegally dumped paper, their practices can have a direct and negative impact on our economy in Maine."
The bill passed the House by a vote of 298-121. Click here to view a video of Congressman Michaud speaking in support of the truck weight provision.
