Cantwell Introduces Legislation Focused On Transportation Employee Safety

On Monday, Washington Senator Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation introduced the Essential Transportation Employee Safety Act of 2021. Supporters of the Act say it will increase workplace safety of essential transportation workers. Cantwell, said this legislation will not only help rural Americans by promoting COVID-19 safety for truck drivers and dock workers and everyone else connected to the transportation of food, but it will also help rural and urban communities via AMTRAK.

“Without additional relief essential services that connect rural communities will be cut further.  So, we don’t want to do more damage to the economy as we continue to deal with the pandemic by under investing in the infrastructure that has to keep operating to help our economies.”

The legislation, which is endorsed by the country’s leading transportation labor unions, would prioritize COVID-19 testing for transportation workers and ensure that employers in the transportation sector implement critical health and safety requirements to keep their workforce safe. Cantwell added the bill would also expand on President Joe Biden’s recent Executive Order mandating mask-wearing on public transportation and codify a federal mask mandate on certain modes of transportation during the pandemic.

Cantwell added the transportation community needs this legislation.

“There are so many people in the transportation sector that just went and did their jobs.  We’ve lost lives in aviation, we’ve lost lives in transit, we’ve lost lives with dockworkers, people have just showed up to continue to do their jobs, and so we need to do better by passing this package giving them the support, more vaccines, more equipment, more support and funding so we can keep Americans working in jobs, but working safely.”

Click Here to read the Essential Transportation Employee Safety Act of 2021 in its entirety.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia.com