March 5, 2007
Overweight “Floater” Equipment – Update
TO: All owners of “Self Propelled Implements of Husbandry” primarily known as floaters
RE: Equipment exceeding 20,000# per/axel weight is currently in violation of Iowa law
Action Requested:
• Contact Representatives (Iowa House) in your trade area and discuss the impact this will have on your operations.
• Ask them to exclude the fees associated with the bill and to support an amendment that will do that on HF 335
• Contact Senators and ask the same be done on SSB 1137.
• Your legislator can be found at: www.agribiz.org
HF 335 continues to sit in House Ways & Means Subcommittee. The bill should be on the agenda for debate in committee this week. (March 5 – 9). Following passage in committee where no amendments are expected (at this time) the bill should come out of that committee and go directly to the floor of the house.
Amendments are expected on the floor from legislators who have been contacted by AAI members. The ideal amendment would be one that strikes the section of the bill that requires fees to be paid with the remainder of the bill to remain intact. The subcommittee in the House includes: Huser (D-Altoona), Reasoner (D-Osceola) and Windschitl (R- Missouri Valley)
The Transportation Omnibus bill is also in the Senate (SSB 1137). Managing the bill is Tom Rielly (D-Oskaloosa). Also on the committee is Larry Noble (R-Ankeny) and Jeff Danielson (D-Cedar Falls) The amendment language in the House has not been included yet in the Senate but work will be done on that this week.
The following is the amendment currently in the House Ways and Means Committee that must go on the bill.
A committee amendment that would include the following will be debated in that committee:
a. ALL “self propelled implements of husbandry-floaters” will not exceed 35 mph on roadways
b. Equipment that “as newly manufactured” would exceed 20,000 lbs. per axle may be operated on NON-interstate highways – excluding bridges – in a county pursuant to being permitted in that county at the rate of $600/per vehicle/county not to exceed $3500/per vehicle annually
c. Each piece of equipment can be registered in fewer but no more than 10 counties
d. The money collected will go to the secondary road fund of the county designated
e. Only vehicles originally purchased or ordered prior to February 1, 2007 may be registered.
f. No new permits for this exemption will be issued after July 1, 2007
g. Vehicles that exceed the 20,000#/axle weight limit operated without the exemption permit are subject to civil penalties of $10,000 in addition to any other penalties that may apply.
i. IDOT will have the permit registration available on or before June 1, 2007 to be effective July 1, 2007. Fees will be paid at the time of registration. ________________________________________
House Ways & Means Committee Members
• Paul Shomshor (D, District 100), Chair
• Tom Schueller (D, District 25), Vice Chair
• Tom Sands (R, District 87), Ranking Member
• Mark Davitt (D, District 74)
• Dave Deyoe (R, District 10)
• Greg Forristall (R, District 98)
• Marcella Frevert (D, District 7)
• Pat Grassley (R, District 17)
• Geri Huser (D, District 42)
• Libby Jacobs (R, District 60)
• Pam Jochum (D, District 27)
• Jeff Kaufmann (R, District 79)
• Doris Kelley (D, District 20)
• Tyler Olson (D, District 38)
• Dawn Pettengill (D, District 39)
• Brian Quirk (D, District 15)
• Mike Reasoner (D, District 95)
• Chuck Soderberg (R, District 3)
• Doug Struyk (R, District 99)
• Roger Thomas (D, District 24)
• Jamie Van Fossen (R, District 81)
• Roger Wendt (D, District 2)
• Tami Wiencek (R, District 21)
• Matt Windschitl (R, District 56)
• Philip L. Wise (D, District 92)