News From ASET - October, 1999

Jack Kingston, Republican Congressman from Georgia, has become the latest Member of Congress to announce that he will co-sponsor H.R. 1667, ASET's legislation. Congressman Kingston is a well-respected member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Maverick Transportation has joined as ASET's newest member. Maverick is a motor carrier company based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Steve Williams, president of Maverick has been active with our coalition now for a few months. We welcome Maverick on board as ASET moves to garner support for H.R. 1667 from both shippers and motor carriers.

Congressional Hill visits have been stepped up in recent weeks. ASET has met with dozens of Members of Congress and/or their staffs to discuss H.R. 1667. We are very pleased with the initial responses from most offices. Productivity and safety coupled together make for a powerful argument. We anticipate more co-sponsors to announce their support in coming weeks. All interested parties are urged to contact their local Congressman and any member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. For more information on how you can help, contact Jake Jacoby at (703) 549-9467 or by email.

Thank you to all of those who have sent in letters and made phone calls to congressional offices to urge for co-sponsorship of H.R. 1667. We would also like to personally thank Bryan Dierlam of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Kim Wirth of Champion International, and Bill Buxton of Food Distributors International for their recent help on Capitol Hill visits. We will only be successful if our coalition members and participants actively work with us to move our bill forward in the 106th Congress. If you would like to join ASET on Hill meetings, please contact Jake Jacoby at (703) 549-9467 or by email.

ASET recently spoke to both the American Forest and Paper Association and the American Iron and Steel Institute. Eric White, Western Director for ASET, spoke to AF&PA's Transportation Committee in San Francisco on October 7. AF&PA has long been a leading advocate for increased motor carrier productivity. On October 13, Peter Vroom, ASET Director, spoke to the American Iron and Steel Institute's Traffic Committee in Washington, D.C. on recent Capitol Hill activity. Many of AISI's members are also active with ASET and the meeting provided a good chance to update the steel industry on H.R. 1667. If you would like ASET to speak to your organization, please contact us at your earliest convenience.