| 2010 WV Legislative Position Statements |
| Friday, 01/08/2010 |
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Maintain Constructive Reforms We applaud Governor Manchin and the legislature for their previous actions and want to stress that we maintain the reforms on these measures: • Workers' Compensation • Insurance • Tax Safety & Environment Our industry’s main focus is on safety as well as the environment. The following elements are important to us and need to be addressed: Primary Safety Belt Law – WVTA supports adoption of a primary safety belt law to increase belt use, reduce fatalities and save money. Text Messaging and Handheld Cell Phone Ban – Distracted driving is the number one cause of accidents. WVTA supports the ban of text messaging and the use of handheld cell phones while driving. We will request legislation be introduced that focuses on Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT). The mission of the TACT program is to reduce CMV-related crashes, injuries, and fatalities by combining outreach, education, and evaluation with targeted enforcement activities to raise awareness among car and truck drivers about safe driving behaviors. This program is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and has been very successful in several states. WVTA will have idling legislation introduced. The purpose of this legislation is to protect public health and the environment by reducing emissions while conserving fuel and maintaining adequate rest and safety of all drivers of diesel vehicles. Highway Funding While it is critical to appropriately fund our highway system, WVTA believes we need to analyze where the dollars are going and determine how they can be spent more efficiently. Good highways are a valuable part of our infrastructure and are critical to the safety of those that travel. Civil Justice Reform & Judicial Reform WVTA is very happy with the work done by the Governor’s Independent Commission on Judicial Reform for their thoughtful and appropriate recommendations, which will serve as a foundation for important reform of the West Virginia court system. The option for state businesses to appeal judicial decisions affecting their operations is not only fair, it sends a positive message to other businesses considering locating in West Virginia. We urge the West Virginia Legislature to codify the Judicial Commission’s recommendation on the automatic right to appeal. One area of success in West Virginia has been medical malpractice reform. The reforms granted to the medical community – providing a measure of certainty in non-economic damages and holding a defendant accountable only for his or her own actions – are grounded in fairness, and deserve to be extended to the public at large, including the business community. We urge these reforms, and believe they will go a long way toward proving West Virginia’s is, in fact, “Open for Business”. |
