News

From CT News Junkie. The Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee is proposing increasing revenues by $1.01 billion in 2020 and $1.33 billion in 2021, but the tax package the committee is hoping to adopt Wednesday doesn’t accept all of Gov. Ned Lamont’s suggestions. The committee, which eventually passed the package 29-21, rejected some of Lamont’s…

From CVSA. Drivers’ actions contributed to a staggering 94 percent of all traffic crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) 2015 Traffic Safety Facts report. In response to this issue, law enforcement personnel will be on the lookout for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in dangerous driver behaviors…

From Transport Topics. After a private meeting at the White House on April 30, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that Democrats had reached an agreement with President Donald Trump on a $2 trillion infrastructure measure. “Building [the] infrastructure of America has never been a partisan issue…

This week, MTAC president Joe Sculley submitted testimony in support of SB 1121, an act concerning Prioritize Progress. The bill is an alternative to using tolls to fund transportation in Connecticut, which would instead prioritize the use of Special Transportation Bonds, and General Obligation bonds. In Sculley’s testimony, he outlined how the bipartisan budget passed…

The April 2019 issue of The Hub: Transportation News & Insights looks at four trending topics: The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of independent contractors/ owner operators; an examination of how duck boat owners avoided seeking limitation in an attempt to limit potential exposure to punitive damages; new FAA Regulations for drones; and…

From MTAC partner Wilson Elser. On April 9, 2019, the New York City Council enacted a bill banning pre-employment testing for marijuana use. The bill passed on a 41−4 vote and is expected to be signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The City Council’s bill prohibits New York City employers from requiring a prospective employee…

From CT Mirror. A coalition of construction businesses and trades launched a new television and online advertising campaign Tuesday that makes a pitch for electronic tolling to refinance a critical rebuild of Connecticut’s highways, bridges and rail lines. First established last spring to support tolls, the Move CT Forward coalition is renewing its efforts as…

Excerpt from Associated Press. Drajewicz, state Treasurer Shawn Wooden and others have also been meeting with experts on public private partnerships to see if there’s an opportunity for Connecticut to work with a private entity to develop tolls. However, there’s skepticism at the state Capitol about whether Connecticut should follow the privatization route that some…

From Overdrive Online. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced in a Federal Register notice published April 15 that truck drivers hauling certain agricultural commodities can now use alternate methods for cargo securement. FMCSA granted the waiver to the American Trucking Associations’ Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference, which requested the exemption in January 2018. The…

From Transport Topics. On April 4, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dialed up the president and requested a meeting. She talked to Donald Trump about working together on an infrastructure package. It was the first phone call between the two since the testy days of the government shutdown earlier this year, and it seemed productive. They…