This week, from his perch on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., introduced a bill reforming federal regulation on how haulers transport livestock across the country.
Yoho and U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., unveiled the “Transporting Livestock Across America Safely (TLAAS) Act” which changes Hours of Service (HOS) regulations for haulers of livestock.
“Hours of Service regulations are rigid and costly for haulers,” Yoho’s office noted. “They also place the wellbeing and welfare of cattle, hogs, fish, and other livestock at risk. The current law does not allow flexibility for livestock to reach their destination given the vast geography of production and processing facilities, most often spanning from coastal states to the Midwest. Extended stops for a hauler, which would be necessitated by these HOS regulations, are especially dangerous for livestock during summer or winter months.”
The North Florida Republican, who worked as a large animal veteran for more than three decades before being elected to Congress in 2012, offered his reasoning for introducing the bill.
“The safe transportation of livestock is an essential part of feeding America,” Yoho said on Wednesday. “TLAAS makes the right modifications to current regulations, so we protect the safety of both haulers and livestock in route to their final destination. I want to thank Rep. Peterson and all my colleagues who are original sponsors of this important legislation.”
“This legislation provides needed flexibility to improve the safety and efficiency of livestock haulers across rural America,” Peterson said. “Moreover, it reduces the stress of travel on livestock, particularly during the summer and winter months.”
Yoho and Peterson rounded up more than 40 cosponsors of the bill including Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Neal Dunn, Tom Rooney and Dan Webster. The bill was sent to the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure on Tuesday. So far, there is no counterpart over in the U.S. Senate.
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