Corn growers applaud House for passing highway bill

The National Corn Growers Association is thankful to the House of Representatives for passing the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 and hopes the Senate will come to an agreement on a bill and send it to the White House before the funding expires on Nov. 20.

“On behalf of America’s farmers and ranchers, thank you to the House for passing this important legislation,” NCGA President Chip Bowling said. “Eighty percent of America’s corn crop is trucked to market, so this issue affects all of us. Safe roads and bridges allow us to get our products to market quickly, safely, and efficiently. When roads and bridges aren’t properly maintained, it’s not just a nuisance – it puts our safety at risk and hurts our bottom lines.

"We especially want to thank the House Transportation Committee, Chairman Bill Schuster (R-PA), Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Representative Sam Graves (R-MO) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) for their leadership in getting this bill passed. We now call on the House and Senate to reconcile their two bills and send this legislation to President [Barack] Obama as quickly as possible before the Thanksgiving recess.”

The NCGA partnered with more than 70 food and agriculture organizations in support of the Safe, Flexible and Efficient (SAFE) Trucking Act, an act that would have modernized truck weight limits, but the amendment failed to pass the House.