Something to think about while making your Fourth of July trip to the beach:
In proposing an electronic limit of 65 miles per hour on tractor-trailers, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., is pushing the Trump administration in a direction it hasn’t wanted to go. But the senator can also argue that his concern pre-dates the current occupant of the White House.
Isakson’s partner in the effort is Chris Coons, D-Del. They introduced the bipartisan legislation late last week, saying it would take the place of a proposed Department of Transportation regulation that has "languished in the federal process" for over a decade. The basics, from the Associated Press:
The majority of trucks on U.S. roads already have the speed-limiting software built in, but it's not always used. Most other countries already use it to cap truck speeds, Isakson said in a statement.
The measure also would circumvent the Trump administration's Department of Transportation, which has delayed any action on the proposed rule indefinitely as part of a sweeping retreat from regulations that the president says slow the economy.
Isakson emphasized his frustration at the bottom of a press release announcing his partnership with Coon:
The Department of Transportation delayed the rulemaking of the "speed limiter rule" more than 20 times since it was first proposed in 2011. After a number of unnecessary delays, a proposed speed limiter rule was approved by the Office of Management and Budget and ultimately published by the U.S. Department of Transportation for comment on Sept. 7, 2016.
However, as currently written, the rule would only apply to new trucks, despite the fact that the majority of existing trucks already have the speed-limiting technology built into their systems.
Isakson's interest pre-dates Donald Trump. Consider this lede, from an AJC report filed in the aftermath of a traumatic accident on I-16 in 2015:
Georgia's Republican U.S. senators urged the Secretary of Transportation today to move forward on a long-delayed regulation to require speed limiting technology on tractor trailers, in response to last month's crash that killed five Georgia Southern University nursing students.
We’ve no word yet on what U.S. Sen. David Perdue thinks of Isakson’s legislation.
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However, this piece from our AJC colleague David Wickert fits with the above topic. The opening paragraphs:
Georgia drivers are among the worst in the nation when it comes to tailgating, a new study shows.
Insurify, a web site for auto insurance quotes, analyzed tailgating violations nationwide. Georgia was the second-worst state, with 45 drivers cited for tailgating per 10,000 motorists. That was second only to Idaho, with 76 drivers cited per 10,000 motorists.
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President Donald Trump's revamped Fourth of July celebration in Washington will apparently feature tanks and other armored vehicles.
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Over at The Resurgent, Erick Erickson has a post worth reading this morning. The opening lines:
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, CA on October 20, 1964. Her mother is an immigrant from India and her father is an immigrant from Jamaica. While we disagree on politics and policy across the board, her life is the life of an American and she is an American.
Some of the same nasty forces that tried to delegitimize President Obama's birth and citizenship are at it again with Kamala Harris.
If they show up here at The Resurgent, they will have their accounts immediately blocked. Beat Kamala Harris at the ballot box. But do not question her citizenship.
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A fifth Republican has hopped into the Sixth District congressional race. Motivational speaker Donnie Bolena describes himself as "a true conservative, card-carrying Christian and tea party Republican." His policy priorities include building a wall on the southern border, ending abortion and "supporting America as a Christian nation and protecting the teaching of creation and the Holy Trinity."
This isn't Bolena's first run for office: he unsuccessfully challenged Sandy Springs's first mayor, Eva Galambos, as she ran for re-election in 2009.
Bolena joins a primary contest that includes former congresswoman Karen Handel, state Sen. Brandon Beach, ex-Merchant Marine Nicole Rodden and business owner Marjorie Taylor Greene as they fight for the chance to take on U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta.
Greene has a new video up on YouTube.
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Alarm bells must have gone off in the executive suites of conservative super PAC gurus with the report from our colleague Matt Kempner, who caught up with Home Depot co-founder and philanthropist Bernie Marcus. The 90-year-old estimated he's given away some $2 billion over the course of his lifetime, and said he plans to donate billions more before and after he dies. Among the causes he plans to give to: President Donald Trump's re-election bid, medical discoveries and treatment for kids with autism and veterans with post-traumatic stress.
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Count Stacey Abrams among the Democratic leaders who aren't rushing to join the push to impeach President Donald Trump.
Asked over the weekend by Metro, a British publication, whether she supported a start to impeachment proceedings, the once-and-potentially-future gubernatorial candidate said she favors Speaker Nancy Pelosi's approach to "actually gather the evidence necessary" before moving forward. From Metro:
"I think the real issue is making certain that we have a record that is accurate and full and complete and can withstand what will come of an attempt at impeachment. Because the reality is you ... in the legal world, you do not prosecute until you have sufficient evidence. And while the Mueller report is damning, we need full information. So we understand not only what the questions are, but what the answers are."
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Time and again, you've heard pundits bemoan Congress' ceding of power to the White House. Over the past two years, most fingers have pointed to the U.S. Senate. But in an opinion piece over at the Forsyth County News, U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall, R-Lawrenceville, says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is doing her part, too. A taste:
"Let me be clear, if the House votes to hold a member of the executive branch in contempt and asks the judicial branch to use its power to enforce a Congressional subpoena, that is perfectly appropriate. What Speaker Pelosi is allowing committee chairmen to do, however, is ignore the legislative process in order to appease the radical left.
"Instead of a vote in the House, committee chairmen are being empowered to go rogue and bring lawsuits against the advisors to the president and other members of the executive branch. Those chairmen don't speak on behalf of the House, they speak on behalf of the liberal wing of their party, and for the Speaker of the House of Representatives to ask the courts to decide on legislative matters will only diminish Congress' standing as a co-equal branch of government.
"Of course, the legislative branch should serve as a check on the executive branch. But, Democrats' actions are disadvantaging Congress by putting politics ahead of good policy. If the courts dismiss these partisan challenges by committee chairmen, it will diminish the Constitutional authority of Congress, and that will hurt the institution and the American people for generations."
