New auto safety legislation proposed in the wake of Toyota’s recall problems is drawing criticism from House Republicans and Michigan Democrat John Dingell, suggesting that changes are in store for the Democratic leaders’ bill.  Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said almost unanimously today that the draft bill would unduly expand government authority and undercut automakers while they are rebounding from a severe slump.  “I’m not sure it’s time to pile on the auto industry,” Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the committee, said at the hearing of the subcommittee on commerce.

Dingell, in a statement, said: “As with most first drafts of legislation, the Waxman-Rush bill has provisions that, in my view, require improvement, especially as they relate to the bill’s practicability, both for federal regulators and those subject to federal regulation,” Dingell said in a statement.  Chairman Henry Waxman, the bill’s chief sponsor, said his goal was to have the committee pass a bill that both Dingell and he could support. Read the rest of this entry →

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman have announced plans to work together on legislation to improve automobile safety as a response to the problems experienced by Toyota recently.

Rockefeller’s Bill “will hold automakers to a higher standard and strengthen the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s ability to more effectively protect Americans on the road.”  Waxman wants NHTSA to be assured “the resources, expertise and authority it needs to protect consumers from vehicle safety defects.”  The joint statement they issued did not disclose details of the planned legislation or say when it would be introduced.  Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has endorsed the idea of new legislation.