In a bipartisan move, U.S. Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Jim Costa (D-CA) recently introduced the Modernizing Operations for Vehicles in Emergencies (MOVE) Act to expand timeframes for federal emergency declarations and more to support emergency supply chain needs.
“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 bill would expand the situations for which the federal government could allow states to waive federally mandated weight limits on the interstate system. Emergency declarations by governors would be added to the list, including declarations surrounding disease and declarations focused on challenging supply chain conditions. Further, the new bill would expand the 120-day maximum disaster declaration allowed under current law to 270 days to allow time to respond to emergencies and lingering conditions.
By removing federal weight limits on the interstate system during times of crisis, shippers are able to more speedily deliver relief supplies. For many, this was most recently seen during the pandemic, when such waivers maintained greater access to food, water and COVID-19 prevention products, as the supply chain buckled under the weight of global demands. Notably, legislation was needed to allow that flexibility as existing law hadn’t placed something like COVID-19 under the standard of concern.
“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.”
These changes are also backed by groups such as the American Trucking Association and the Shippers Coalition.