The Nation

BUTLER COUNTY, Ala. — As Tropical Storm Claudette plowed through Alabama Saturday, June 19, a fiery pileup involving 12 vehicles, two of them big rigs, claimed the lives of 10 people and injured numerous others. Nine of the 10 dead were juveniles ranging in age from 9 months to 17 years; the tenth was the 29-year-old father of one of the children. The crash took place shortly before 2:30 p.m. at mile marker 138 on northbound Interstate 65 in Butler County, according to a statement released by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). When troopers with ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division reached the scene, seven of the vehicles had already burst into flames. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office in a social media post Saturday night described the crash as the “worst ever” in the county. “It is with heavy heart that I make this post,” the post read. “Butler County has had one of the most terrible traffic accidents that I believe is the worst ever in our county. Many vehicles were involved, many injuries and even deaths. Please pray for the families of the ones involved and first responders, law enforcement, EMS, wrecker services, fire departments, ALDOT, hospital personnel, volunteers, chaplains and anyone that assisted.” Eight of the victims were traveling in a van from the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, a nonprofit organization sponsored by the Alabama Sheriffs’ Association that provides a home for abused and neglected children, including foster children. The names of the children have not been released. The driver of the van, ranch director Candice Gulley, survived but two of her children, ages 4 and 16, were among the eight killed. Gulley was pulled from the flames by a bystander; on Monday, it was reported that she remained hospitalized in Montgomery, Alabama, in serious but stable condition. The group was returning from an annual trip to the Gulf Coast. A U.S. flag flew at half-staff at the ranch on Monday, and bouquets of flowers decorated a sign. Grim-faced workers and volunteers came and went in silence as the chief executive struggled to keep his emotions in check. “I know that we lost eight of our children. That’s what I know,” said Michael Smith. Smith said there were two vans from the camp along with a car pulling a trailer loaded with suitcases. The lead van was involved in the crash, he said. “Many of our children have never even seen the beach, so it’s an annual event that we’re able to take these children down there,” he said. This was the first visit back to the beach after the COVID-19 pandemic, “and we were so excited.” Also killed in the pile-up were Cody Fox, 29, of New Hope, Tennessee, and his daughter, Ariana Fox, who was 9 months old. Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock said multiple vehicles probably hydroplaned in the vacationer-heavy area he said was “notorious” for dangerous conditions where the northbound highway curves down a hill to a small creek. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey expressed her grief in a June 20 social media post. “Yesterday was a tragic day for our state,” she wrote. “My heart goes out to the loved ones of all who perished during the storm in Butler & Tuscaloosa counties. Let’s keep these families, communities & first responders lifted in prayer.” In a June 20 statement, Hal Taylor, ALEA’s Secretary of Law Enforcement expressed gratitude to the first responders and volunteers who assisted at the scene of the crash, noting that “investigating fatal crashes is one of the most difficult responsibilities of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.” “(This) was an extremely heartbreaking day for the state of Alabama as 10 lives were tragically lost in one horrific event,” he said. “It was a difficult and unimaginable scene for many, and our thoughts and prayers are with all involved as we continue to investigate and provide closure for those affected.” Justin Lovvorn, chief of police for the nearby town of Greenville, Alabama, on June 20 tweeted about the tragedy. “Yesterday’s accident was the worst I have witnessed in my 25 years in law enforcement,” he wrote. “My deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of all those touched by this tragedy. Please continue to pray for all those involved.” The NTSB, in coordination with the Alabama Highway Patrol, sent 10 investigators to conduct a safety investigation of the crash, according to a June 20 statement. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — The Minnesota Trucking Association (MTA) has voiced opposition to the truck-parking ban proposed by the city of Minneapolis, which will be heard by the Transportation and Public Works Committee Tuesday, June 23. If approved, this ban would force truck drivers to park outside of the city, which would impede on-time deliveries and disrupt daily commerce. Truck parking is already banned in residential areas of the city. “The city is pursuing this action at a time when there is a serious shortage of safe parking options for trucks in the Twin Cities and across the state,” said MTA President John Hausladen in a statement released June 21. “Every day, professional truck drivers deliver essential food, medicine, products, materials and supplies to our communities and local businesses. Throughout the worst days of the pandemic, truck drivers played a critical role in supporting our supply chains that continue to be stretched to their limits.” Hausladen noted that many of the trucks parked overnight within the city limits are owned by owner-operators who are residents of Minneapolis. “These small businesses, many of whom are minority-owned, would have no viable alternative for overnight parking. This ban could effectively force many of these hard-working residents to choose between their livelihood and the place they call home,” he stated. This is not the first time the city is considering banning truck parking, according to MTA. In 2019, the Minneapolis City Council heard a proposal of a similar nature; however, the proposal did not make it to a vote. According to MTA, 96.5% of manufactured tonnage is transported by trucks in Minnesota, and there are 21,560 trucking companies in Minnesota. Within those companies, there are 35,150 jobs for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. “We should be looking for ways to provide more safe parking for truck drivers, instead of pursuing a policy that would diminish an essential industry and do real economic harm to the city,” he said. “We call on the Minneapolis City Council to craft a fundamentally fair policy that balances parking management concerns with the essential services truck drivers provide. We would welcome the opportunity to work with Minneapolis leaders to develop a smart solution,” Hausladen concluded.

WASHINGTON — Congressional negotiators and the White House appear open to striking a roughly $1 trillion deal on infrastructure. But they are struggling with the hard part — how to pay for it. As President Joe Biden jumps back into the talks this week, the question of where the money will come from looms large. And time is running short to solve it. Biden wants to increase taxes for corporations and those households making more than $400,000 a year. Republicans have ruled that out, putting forward alternatives that Democrats find unacceptable. Both sides have said the infrastructure spending should be paid for and not add to the national debt. It’s a long-standing challenge with no easy solution, one that puts the bipartisan agreement around infrastructure in tension with the nettlesome realities of governing. It’s a problem that has thwarted previous attempts at an infrastructure bill, including during the Trump administration, and their ability to solve it now is likely to determine whether a bipartisan accord is possible. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said user fees are the way to go. But the White House and key Democratic lawmakers oppose increasing the user fee that has traditionally funded road and bridge construction, the federal gas tax, even if the increase is just allowing it to rise at the rate of inflation from its current level of 18.4 cents per gallon. The federal gas tax has not increased since 1993. “The president’s pledge was not to raise taxes on Americans making less than $400,000 a year, and the proposed gas tax or vehicle mileage tax would do exactly that,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “So that is a nonstarter for him. I’d also note for the mathematicians in the room that only raises $40 billion, which is a fraction of what this proposal would cost.” Biden hosted two key Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, at the White House on Monday, June 21. He told them he was encouraged by the plans that were taking shape but still had questions about the policy and the financing for the proposal, a White House official said. Biden also said he was focused on budget resolution discussions. The two senators were among a group huddling late Monday at the Capitol, some emerging upbeat that a bipartisan deal was within reach. “Significant progress,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said they were “very close” to having a full proposal from the bipartisan group as soon as Tuesday. One idea under consideration is reallocating money already approved as part of COVID-19 relief measures. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said Sunday that they’re looking at repurposing more than $100 billion from COVID-19 relief to help pay for infrastructure. He put the onus on the White House to put forward other ideas, since Democrats are balking at indexing the gas tax to inflation or creating a user fee for electric vehicles. “The administration, therefore, will need to come forward with some other ideas without raising taxes,” Portman said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “What we don’t want to do is hurt the economy right now as we’re coming out of this pandemic by raising taxes on working families.” With the gas tax likely out, other ideas include raising revenue from communication spectrum leases and both parties are eyeing funds that could be raised by going after tax dodgers. The Republicans estimate about $63 billion could be raised by beefing up enforcement by the Internal Revenue Service. Democrats say the amount could be even higher. Another complication in the negotiations is that many Democrats question whether the size and scope of the infrastructure package being discussed by the White House and senators is adequate. Within the $1 trillion package, about $579 billion would be new spending and the remainder would be a continuation of existing programs. Many Democrats are wary of a repeat of 2009, when Barack Obama was president and they spent months negotiating the details of the Affordable Care Act with Republicans. Eventually Democrats passed the package that became known as “Obamacare” on their own. “The amount of money that they are proposing is about one-quarter of what the president talked about in terms of new money. That’s not adequate,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Lawmakers are also hoping to influence more than the price tag of the infrastructure bill. One senator key to the talks, Manchin unveiled his own draft proposal Monday for green energy infrastructure investments. The 423-page bill contains a wish list of energy-related proposals, and he’ll hold a hearing on the plan Thursday in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has described the infrastructure bill being negotiated as a good start. But he says most Democrats don’t believe it does enough on climate and also want it to address priorities like paid family leave. He is pushing a “two-track” approach that leaves open the possibility of a far larger bill without Republican votes. Using a special budget, the second infrastructure bill would only take a simple majority of 51 votes to pass. Such a measure could include more of the priorities laid out by Biden as part of his $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, such as paid family leave and universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned the administration to not go that route. “I would just say to President Biden, you’ve got a party that’s divided. You’ve got a Republican Party that’s willing to meet you in the middle for a trillion dollars of infrastructure that could fundamentally change the way America does business in roads, ports, and bridges and accelerate electrical vehicles,” Graham said on “Fox News Sunday.” “You’ve got to decide what kind of president you are and what kind of presidency you want.” By Kevin Freking and Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press. Associated Press writers Josh Boak in Baltimore and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.

CHARLESTON, S.C. –– A South Carolina man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison, followed by a three-year term of supervised release, for wire fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud and health care fraud schemes, according to Acting U.S. Attorney M. Rhett Dehart. Cameron Banks, aka “Reggie Staggers” and “Roy Hamilton,” 36, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, operated several fraudulent schemes, including submitting falsified requests to the U.S. Department of Transportation in order to operate commercial vehicles and operating a fraudulent truck-leasing scheme. Evidence presented to the court established that Banks began these schemes in 2013, when he submitted a falsified loan application to obtain a 2014 Bentley Sedan for $212,034. Next, while employed by a dentist, Dr. Cornelius Beck, Banks ran a loan program in which he stole Beck’s identity and submitted falsified loan applications on behalf of patients to obtain dental work. To obtain these loans, Banks created fraudulent loan documents using Beck’s forged signature. While the funds were supposed to be used for dental procedures, few people received any dental work; instead, Banks transferred most of the funds into his personal bank accounts for his own use. Further evidence outlined another fraudulent scheme, beginning in 2015 and continuing into 2018, in which Banks submitted requests to the U.S. Department of Transportation to receive numbers to operate commercial vehicles. The requests contained false information and withheld information Banks was required to disclose, namely his relationship with other entities licensed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), to avoid out-of-service orders that FMCSA placed on DOT numbers he operated. On each occasion, Banks failed to disclose any relationship with other entities licensed by FMCSA during the previous three years while knowing he had applied for and received DOT numbers for three other companies. While Banks was on bond for the frauds outlined above, investigators uncovered a third fraud, in which Banks operated a Ponzi scheme. Investors believed they were investing in the operation of commercial trucking businesses. Under the lease agreements, Banks would provide the truck, the driver, and the insurance; in exchange, investors were promised a majority of the profits. In reality, Banks spent the investment funds on personal expenses including car leases, jewelry and travel. Banks mailed investors checks that represented a portion of the funds to which they were entitled and created false expense documents to explain the lack of profits. There were at least 32 victims of this scheme, many of whom experienced substantial financial hardship after investing their life savings. Banks has prior convictions for forgery, fraudulent checks, bank fraud, financial identity fraud, financial transaction card theft, tax evasion and numerous instances of probation violations. Banks was indicted March 27, 2018. On Aug. 26, 2019, he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Charleston, South Carolina, to the falsification of records in federal investigations with intent to impede, obstruct and influence the FMCSA’s process of investigation and proper administration and to mail fraud. On May 25, 2021, U.S. District Judge David Norton sentenced Banks to 108 months (nine years) of imprisonment, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States DOT’s Office of the Inspector General, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the South Carolina Department of Revenue. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Limehouse and Jason Peavy prosecuted the case.

PHARR, Texas — Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently discovered a load of mixed hard narcotics containing alleged cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin hidden in a commercial shipment arriving from Mexico at the Pharr International Bridge. The narcotics have an estimated value of $6,582,600. On June 14, CBP officers assigned to the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility encountered a tractor-trailer hauling a commercial shipment of floor tile. During a nonintrusive imaging inspection of the vehicle, officers found packages of suspected narcotics hidden within the shipment. Officers removed 162 packages of alleged methamphetamine weighing 203 pounds, 40 packages of alleged heroin weighing 47.39 pounds and 31 packages of alleged cocaine weighing 78 pounds. Officers also discovered more than 5,100 assorted pills of alleged fentanyl, oxycodone and methamphetamine. CBP seized the narcotics and the tractor-trailer; the case is under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. “This seizure was accomplished due to great all-around teamwork, beginning with analytical research, use of technology and the endless commitment to the border security mission of keeping dangerous drugs from continuing their trek into our communities,” said Carlos Rodriguez, port director at Hidalgo, Pharr, Anzalduas.

NEW ORLEANS — Three more participants in a Louisiana insurance ring, dubbed Operation Sideswipe, that targeted heavy-duty commercial trucks pleaded guilty this week, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. One of the three is an attorney. On Thursday, June 17, Danny Patrick Keating Jr., 52, a New Orleans-based personal injury attorney, entered a guilty plea to charges of Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown. Keating was one of 33 defendants charged in the federal probe. So far, 22 of the 33 have entered guilty pleas in federal court. According to the guilty plea, Keating admitted to conspiring with Damian Labeaud and others to defraud insurance companies, commercial carriers and trucking companies in by intentionally staging automobile accidents in New Orleans. Labeaud referred “victims” of staged accidents to Keating and other New Orleans personal injury attorneys for a payment of $1,000 per passenger for accidents involving tractor-trailers and $500 per passenger for accidents not involving tractor-trailers. Keating advanced Labeaud thousands of dollars for these accidents and instructed Labeaud that he owed Keating a certain number of accidents based on the amount of money advanced. In one instance, on July 17, 2017, Keating gave Labeaud $15,000 so Labeaud could purchase a $15,000.00 Chase Bank cashier’s check to buy Mario Solomon’s truck. Solomon, a spotter who worked with Labeaud in staging automobile accidents, pleaded guilty in federal court May 28, 2020, and was sentenced Jan. 22, 2021. Then, on Sept. 25, 2017, Keating wrote a $17,000.00 check to himself for “advertising” and used the proceeds to purchase a $17,000 cashier’s check payable to Labeaud. The indictment alleges Keating paid Labeaud another $12,500 during June 2017. Keating admitted he knowingly paid Labeaud for a total of 31 illegally staged tractor-trailer accidents and that he represented 77 plaintiffs involved in the 31 accidents staged by Labeaud; Keating settled 17 of the 31 staged accidents. The indictment charged that Keating and his clients received approximately $1,500,000 in settlements resulting from the staged accidents, and that Keating kept approximately $358,000 in attorney’s fees. Keating also admitted he filed lawsuits in state and federal court in Louisiana on behalf of his clients who were involved in the staged accidents. The lawsuits fraudulently alleged who was driving the vehicles, misrepresented who was at fault in the staged accidents, and falsely claimed injuries. Keating used the U.S Postal Service to mail settlement demands on behalf of his clients who were involved in staged accidents from the Eastern District of Louisiana to various out-of-state locations. In many cases, Keating’s clients provided false testimony in depositions taken in conjunction with lawsuits he filed. Keating faces a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person of the offense under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571. He also faces a term of supervised release up to 3 years after his release from prison. Sentencing is scheduled for January. Two other participants in the ring pleaded guilty Wednesday, June 16, 2021, before U.S. District Court Judge Sarah S. Vance. Doniesha Gibson, 29, of New Orleans, and Erica Lee Thompson, 46, of Harvey, Louisiana, entered guilty pleas to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud in relation to staged automobile accidents in New Orleans. According to the guilty pleas, Gibson and Thompson, along with their co-conspirators and others — beginning in about 2015 and continuing through the present — conspired to commit wire fraud in connection with staged accidents with Cornelius Garrison. Gibson admitted to being a passenger in a staged accident on Oct. 15, 2015. On that day, Garrison intentionally drove a 2014 Dodge Avenger owned by Gibson into a Hotard bus while traveling on I-10 near the I- 510 flyover. Gibson then retained an attorney and made a claim for damages. The total settlement for the Hotard bus accident was approximately $677,500. Thompson admitted that on Sept. 6, 2017, near the Almonaster exit on I-10, she was a passenger in a 2015 RAV4, owned by Thompson and driven by Garrison, when he intentionally crashed into a tractor-trailer owned by Averitt Express. Thompson retained counsel and made a claim for damages. The total settlement for the Averitt accident was $30,000. In total, the victim trucking, bus and insurance companies paid approximately $707,500 for the two fraudulent claims. Gibson and Thompson each face a maximum sentence of five years of incarceration. Upon release from prison, each also faces a term of supervised release of up to three years, and/or a fine of $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to each defendant or twice the gross loss to any person. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2021.

MINNEAPOLIS — A truck driver who drove through a large crowd of protesters on a Minneapolis highway last year during demonstrations over George Floyd’s death will have criminal charges dropped if he remains law-abiding for the next year. Hennepin County prosecutors entered into a “continuance without prosecution” agreement with Bogdan Vechirko, of Otsego, on Friday, June 18, during a virtual court hearing before a district judge, the Star Tribune reported. Vechirko was charged with one felony count of making threats of violence and with criminal vehicular operation, a gross misdemeanor. Prosecutors alleged that Vechirko attempted to “scare” protesters when he drove onto the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River as thousands of people protested Floyd’s death under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer. One protester suffered abrasions as she tried to jump out of the way to avoid the truck, according to the criminal complaint, but nobody was seriously hurt. Vechirko told investigators he didn’t mean to drive into the protest or hurt anyone and was returning from a fuel delivery in Minneapolis. Authorities had closed area highways as a precaution, but traffic camera video showed that the trucker entered the downtown freeway system from a ramp that wasn’t barricaded, for reasons that remain unclear. Vechirko will be required to stay law-abiding for a year, pay restitution and attend three sentencing circles, two of which he has already attended, his lawyer said.

HARTFORD, Conn. — Last week, both houses of the Connecticut state legislature approved a bill that would levy a highway user fee, or vehicle miles traveled tax (VMT), on large commercial trucks. House Bill 6688, sponsored by Democratic Reps. Matthew Ritter, Martin M. Looney, Jason Rojas and Bob Duff, passed by a wide margin in both the House (88-59) on June 8, and the Senate (22-14) in the early hours of June 9. The bill is now on the desk of the state’s Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, who originally proposed the truck-use tax in a two-year budget presented in February 2021. If signed into law by Lamont, HB 6688 would result in a VMT ranging from 2.5 cents per mile for commercial trucks with a gross weight of 26,000 to 28,000 pounds up to 17.5 cents per mile for those weighing 80,000 pounds or more. The fees, which would apply to all roads within the state, would be enacted Jan. 1, 2023, with motor carriers required to calculate and file monthly returns for miles traveled on roads within Connecticut. The funds generated, expected to average $90 million annually, would be deposited into a special transportation fund. In response to outcry from members of the trucking and transportation industry against what many see as unfairly building the state’s tax base on commercial vehicle traffic, Lamont took to social media, including Twitter and Facebook, the evening of June 9, stating: “The trucking lobby is threatening to have drivers go around Connecticut because of the Highway User Fee. That’s fine. We’ll have less air pollution, safer and better quality roads, and less people with asthma. Looks like the Highway User Fee is already working.” Attached to the post was a video clip of Lamont making a statement to reporters, in which he noted that if trucking companies rerouted to avoid Connecticut, “We’ll still have the resources we need to make the investments we’ve got to.” The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and American Trucking Associations (ATA) both responded negatively to Lamont’s social media post via Twitter. “Lamont’s ignorance could fill a road train of 53-foot trailers. His open hostility toward truckers is shocking. He has shown a complete lack of respect for those who keep his state running by hauling goods in & out of CT. When did politicians become so out of touch with reality?” read a June 10 post from OOIDA. “While bluster may be in fashion, should store shelves start thinning out, you might regret your choice of words, unless of course you can eat them,” added Todd Spencer, president of OOIDA, in a separate tweet. “Imagine being ignorant enough to think this is a clever response. You’ll also have less gasoline, less groceries, less household goods, less medicine, less construction materials… and all will cost more for consumers, too. If you bought it, a truck brought it,” ATA noted in a June 11 tweet. Following the House passage of the bill June 8, Joe Sculley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut (MTAC), pointed out that state representatives voted to exempt dairy trucks, which he described as “the heaviest trucks on the road,” from paying the tax. “(Dairy) trucks operate at 100,000 pounds, while the limit for all other trucks is 80,000 pounds,” Sculley stated. “This just goes to show that the truck mileage tax is not actually about damage to the roads; it’s just about money. Lighter-weight trucks will be subsidizing heavier trucks that will be exempt from the tax.” MTAC has repeatedly voiced opposition to a truck-only fee, through letters to House and Senate leaders; written and verbal testimony to the state’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee; and letters to the editor and op-ed pieces published by statewide news outlets. “The treatment of small business trucking companies in Connecticut is like an undersized kid in grade school always getting his lunch money stolen by a bigger, stronger kid. In this case, our ‘lunch money’ is the taxes and fees the industry pays to fund the Special Transportation Fund,” Sculley wrote in an April 28 op-ed piece published on the CT News Junkie website, adding that imposing a truck mileage fee implies “it’s the trucking industry’s fault that the government has mismanaged the Special Transportation Fund.” In addition, MTAC organized a coalition of more than a dozen businesses and trade associations representing the trucking industry, community chambers of commerce, the lumber industry, food retailers and distributors, and more, all opposing a tax levied only against commercial vehicles. According to a June 14 newsletter from MTAC, the association, at the request of “one powerful legislator,” proposed alternatives to a truck mileage tax, including the use of COVID-19 relief funds, transferring sales tax revenue from the state’s general fund to the special transportation fund, and considering some reduction in train fare subsidies. The proposals “were seemingly ignored by the person who invited MTAC to propose the alternatives once they were submitted by MTAC,” the statement noted. In the same newsletter the association stated, “As the legislative session was approaching its June 9 adjournment date, MTAC learned that Governor Lamont made a deal with the legislature. He would approve more state bonding in order to send money to towns and cities, if the legislature approved the truck mileage tax. Something like that is hard to fight against.” Sculley said he believes the tax is ultimately destined to fail. “Proponents (of the tax) think that all they have to do is compare miles reported under the interstate agreement known as IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement) against miles reported under this new mileage tax,” he explained. “They don’t realize that (1), out-of-state trucking companies report their IFTA miles to their base state, and that Connecticut does not have access to those records, and (2), IFTA includes single-unit trucks, which this tax does not. Connecticut cannot do an apples-to-oranges comparison for purposes of enforcing this new tax,” Sculley continued. “Connecticut is never going to see the money predicted for this bill, and this tax scheme will fail,” he concluded.

WASHINGTON — Democrats are eyeing a $6 trillion infrastructure investment plan that goes far beyond roads and bridges to include core party priorities, from lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 60 and adding dental, vision and hearing benefits to incorporating a long-running effort to provide legal status for certain immigrants, including “Dreamers.” The Senate is preparing a draft budget document, alongside one in the House, that puts a new focus on President Joe Biden’s big legislative proposal  and shows the scope of what Democrats would hope to accomplish with a go-it-alone approach, separate from any possible bipartisan deal. Back from his overseas trip, Biden is reengaging with Congress as the administration and its allies on Capitol Hill embark on a two-pronged strategy: reviewing a nearly $1 trillion plan from a group of 21 senators, including 11 Republicans, while pursuing their own priorities in a more substantial package. Half of the total in the $6 trillion plan is expected to be paid for, largely with Biden’s proposed taxes on corporations and those earning more than $400,000. Details emerging Thursday, June 17, were confirmed by aides who were not authorized to publicly discuss private deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity. Initial Senate votes are expected in July. “We have an enormous amount of work in front of us,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said after making a closed-door presentation to colleagues late Wednesday. Sanders would not disclose details. He indicated that the size and scope is needed to “address the crisis facing working families, to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, to deal with climate change, to deal with the needs of children and parents to deal with the affordable housing crisis.” The goal, he said, is also to ensure that the wealthiest people and the largest companies “start paying their fair share of taxes.” Biden is hoping for a deal with Republicans who are resisting his big ideas and trimming the potential spending, but he also is trying to assure Democrats that he will not leave behind their main priorities. The strategy is for Democrats to go as far they can with Republicans and then tackle the rest on their own — and those are serious political and legislative challenges. On Thursday, Biden was expected to be reviewing the latest bipartisan offering, a nearly $1 trillion proposal from the group of 21 senators. That 11 are Republicans shows the potential for an agreement in the evenly split Senate that could theoretically reach the 60-vote threshold needed to advance bills. Scaled back from Biden’s initial ideas, the bipartisan proposal offers about $579 billion in new spending, including $110 billion on roads and highways, $66 billion on passenger and freight rail and $48 billion on public transit, according a Republican who requested anonymity to discuss it. An additional $47 billion would go toward efforts to fight climate change and there is money for electric vehicle charging stations. The senators’ group suggests tapping $120 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief money and $315 billion from the Paycheck Protection Program, created to help businesses pay workers during the coronavirus lockdowns. The senators also want to go after tax dodgers by bolstering the IRS. One source of contention among these senators is over raising gas taxes by linking future increases to inflation. It’s an idea that many other Democrats oppose and goes against Biden’s pledge not to tax Americans earning less than $400,000. The bipartisan group is also considering a fee on electric vehicle users. For his plan, Biden has proposed raising taxes on corporations, from 21% to 28%, to fund the jobs plan, and increasing taxes on wealthy Americans earning more than $400,000 — moves that Republicans flatly oppose. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made it clear Thursday there will almost certainly be a second bill from Democrats, regardless of whether a bipartisan deal is reached. She panned the effort to increase the tax consumers that pay at the gas pump. “I don’t think the American people, America’s working families should be footing the bill for roads and bridges and the rest that America’s wealthiest people and businesses are using,” she said. Biden has proposed a historic investment in public works that also would shore up what the White House calls the human infrastructure of everyday life: child care centers, veterans hospitals, community colleges and elder care. Together, the $1.7 trillion American Jobs Plan and the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan make up a wish-list of Democratic priorities that most Republicans say are investments that go far beyond what they are comfortable spending. The draft emerging from Sanders’ committee goes further and would expand Medicare by lowering the eligibility age from 65 to 60, and offer added benefits such as hearing aids and dental care for seniors, which are among his longtime priorities. Democrats would help pay for the plan with a prescription drug pricing overhaul. They also expect to raise revenue by allowing some immigrants to apply for a path to legal status and citizenship. Young immigrants, including “Dreamers” living in the country illegally who were brought here as children, and others with temporary protected status are among those potentially included. Some are pushing to include immigrants who are essential workers. “I am optimistic,” said Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who was among a group of Latino senators discussing the issues Thursday. The administration dispatched top White House advisers for back-to-back meetings on Capitol Hill while the president was in England and Europe. Officials met Tuesday with House Democrats and late Wednesday with the Democratic senators in the bipartisan group. The bipartisan group negotiating with the White House includes some of the most watched members of the Senate, and some who are known for reaching out to the other side or bucking their party to make a deal. By Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, June 16, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi visited the Port of New York & New Jersey to discuss ongoing supply chain disruptions after the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for infrastructure investments. The visit is part of the Biden administration’s approach to addressing supply chain disruptions. On June 8, the administration launched the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to address near-term supply/demand mismatches. “The pandemic has presented unprecedented economic challenges including supply chain disruption,” Joshi said. “It’s vitally important as a nation that we address these challenges using the tools at our disposal to minimize the impacts on workers, consumers, and businesses and bolster a strong economic recovery. Today’s visit is critical in learning directly from port leaders and motor carriers about how we can help alleviate supply chain challenges while ensuring our roadways, including the ports, remain safe for truck drivers and all road users.” Joshi met with leaders from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Maher Terminals, the New Jersey Motor Truck Association and the Association of Bi-State Motor Carriers to discuss prioritizing truck safety and current supply chain challenges including trucking capacity, the historical increase in cargo volume, road congestion and delays related to the return of empty containers, as well the generational investment the American Jobs Plan provides, $17 billion investments for ports. “The Port Authority looks forward to working with FMCSA Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi on key issues facing our seaport, our maritime stakeholders, and the national logistics and distribution industry to ensure that the supply chain remains strong and fluid,” said Sam Ruda, port director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. “Our seaport, which is the largest on the East Coast, is a critical part of the nation’s economic recovery as a major job creator and gateway of nearly all goods, supplies and commerce to the New York-New Jersey region as well as to the Northeast, parts of the Midwest and the mid-Atlantic states,” Ruda continued. “We share the Biden administration’s goals of improving the nation’s infrastructure whether by road, rail or sea.” Lisa Yakomin, president of the Association of Bi-State Motor Carriers, noted that the intermodal trucking industry has unique concerns. “(We) appreciated the opportunity to meet with Administrator Joshi and share information with her on issues of concern to the truckers who move freight at the largest port on the Eastern seaboard,” Yakomin said. “We look forward to continuing the dialogue with Administrator Joshi in order to tackle the unique challenges facing the intermodal trucking community at the Port of NY/NJ and working together to support supply chain efficiency and fluidity nationwide.” The Department of Transportation, along with other agencies that are part of the task force, will be holding meetings with stakeholders this month to diagnose problems and surface solutions — large and small, public or private — in an attempt to help alleviate near-term transitory bottlenecks and supply constraints, according to a DOT statement.