A bill to establish a commercial truck highway safety demonstration program in the State of Maine, and for other purposes.

Summary: Commercial Truck Highway Safety Demonstration Program Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a program to demonstrate the effects on the safety of the highway network in Maine of permitting operation on the Interstate System highways within the State of a vehicle that weighs over 80,000 pounds, that consists of a three-axle tractor unit hauling a single trailer or semitrailer, and that does not exceed any vehicle weight limitation applicable under Maine law. Waives highway funding reduction relating to weight of vehicles using Interstate System highways with respect to vehicles allowed pursuant to this program. Provides for program termination and for the responsibilities of the State of Maine, including: (1) submitting a plan to the Secretary of Transportation; (2) establishing a highway safety committee; and (3) collecting data on the net effects of the operation of such vehicles on safety.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Commercial Truck Highway Safety 
Demonstration Program Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Public safety on the highways of the United States is a 
        paramount concern of all who use the highways and all who 
        prescribe public policy for the use of those highways, 
        including public policy on the operation of heavy commercial 
        trucks on highways.
            (2) Federal highway funding law effectively imposes a limit 
        of 80,000 pounds on the weight of vehicles permitted to use 
        Interstate System highways.
            (3) The administration of this law in Maine has forced 
        heavy tractor-trailer and tractor-semitrailer combination 
        vehicles traveling into Maine from neighboring States and 
        Canada to divert onto small State and local roads where higher 
        vehicle weight limits apply under Maine law.
            (4) The diversion of those vehicles onto such roads causes 
        significant economic hardships and safety challenges for small 
        communities located along those roads.
            (5) Permitting heavy commercial vehicles, including tanker 
        trucks carrying hazardous material and fuel oil, to travel on 
        Interstate System highways in Maine--
                    (A) would enhance public safety by reducing--
                            (i) the number of heavy vehicles that use 
                        town and city streets in Maine; and
                            (ii) as a result, the number of dangerous 
                        interactions between those heavy vehicles and 
                        such other vehicles as school buses and private 
                        vehicles; and
                    (B) would reduce the net highway maintenance costs 
                in Maine because the Interstate System highways, unlike 
                the secondary roads of Maine, are built to accommodate 
                heavy vehicles and are, therefore, more durable.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Covered interstate system highway.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``covered Interstate 
                System highway'' means a highway within the State of 
                Maine that is designated as a route on the Interstate 
                System, except as provided in subparagraph (B).
                    (B) Exception.--The term does not include any 
                portion of highway that, as of the date of the 
                enactment of this Act, is exempted from the 
                requirements of subsection (a) of section 127 of title 
                23, United States Code, by the last sentence of such 
                subsection.
            (2) Interstate system.--The term ``Interstate System'' has 
        the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of title 23, 
        United States Code.

SEC. 4. MAINE TRUCK SAFETY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    The Secretary of Transportation shall carry out a program, in the 
administration of this Act, to demonstrate the effects on the safety of 
the overall highway network in the State of Maine that would result 
from permitting vehicles described in section 5(b) to be operated on 
the Interstate System highways within the State.

SEC. 5. WAIVER OF HIGHWAY FUNDING REDUCTION RELATING TO WEIGHT OF 
              VEHICLES USING INTERSTATE SYSTEM HIGHWAYS.

    (a) Prohibition Relating to Certain Vehicles.--Notwithstanding 
section 127(a) of title 23, United States Code, the total amount of 
funds apportioned to the State of Maine under section 104(b)(1) of such 
title for any period may not be reduced under such section 127(a) on 
the basis that the State of Maine permits a vehicle described in 
subsection (b) to use a covered Interstate System highway.
    (b) Combination Vehicles in Excess of 80,000 Pounds.--A vehicle 
referred to in subsection (a) is a vehicle having a weight in excess of 
80,000 pounds that--
            (1) consists of a 3-axle tractor unit hauling a single 
        trailer or semitrailer; and
            (2) does not exceed any vehicle weight limitation that is 
        applicable under the laws of the State of Maine to the 
        operation of such vehicle on highways in Maine not in the 
Interstate System, as such laws are in effect on the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
    (c) Effective Date and Termination.--
            (1) Effective date.--
                    (A) Date of satisfaction of administrative 
                conditions by maine.--The prohibition in subsection (a) 
                shall take effect on the date on which the Secretary of 
                Transportation notifies the Commissioner of 
                Transportation of the State of Maine in writing that--
                            (i) the Secretary has received the plan 
                        described in paragraph (1) of section 6; and
                            (ii) the Commissioner has established a 
                        highway safety committee as described in 
                        paragraph (2) of such section and has 
                        promulgated rules and procedures for the 
                        collection of highway safety data as described 
                        in paragraph (3) of such section.
                    (B) Permanent effect.--After taking effect, the 
                prohibition in subsection (a) shall remain in effect 
                unless terminated under paragraph (2).
            (2) Contingent termination.--The prohibition in subsection 
        (a) shall terminate three years after the effective date 
        applicable under paragraph (1) if, before the end of such 3-
        year period, the Secretary of Transportation--
                    (A) determines that--
                            (i) operation of vehicles described in 
                        subsection (b) on covered Interstate System 
                        highways in Maine has adversely affected safety 
                        on the overall highway network in Maine; or
                            (ii) the Commissioner of Transportation of 
                        the State of Maine has failed faithfully to use 
                        the highway safety committee as described in 
                        paragraph (2)(A) of section 6 or to collect 
                        data as described in paragraph (3) of such 
                        section; and
                    (B) publishes the determination, together with the 
                date of the termination of the prohibition, in the 
                Federal Register.
    (d) Consultation Regarding Termination for Safety.--In making a 
determination under subsection (c)(2)(A)(i), the Secretary of 
Transportation shall consult with the highway safety committee 
established by the Commissioner in accordance with section 6.

SEC. 6. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STATE OF MAINE.

    For the purposes of section 5, the State of Maine satisfies the 
conditions of this section if the Commissioner of Transportation of the 
State of Maine--
            (1) submits to the Secretary of Transportation a plan for 
        satisfying the conditions set forth in paragraphs (2) and (3);
            (2) establishes and chairs a highway safety committee 
        that--
                    (A) the Commissioner uses to review the data 
                collected pursuant to paragraph (3); and
                    (B) consists of representatives of--
                            (i) agencies of the State of Maine that 
                        have responsibilities related to highway 
                        safety;
                            (ii) municipalities of the State of Maine;
                            (iii) organizations that have evaluation or 
                        promotion of highway safety among their 
                        principal purposes; and
                            (iv) the commercial trucking industry; and
            (3) collects data on the net effects that the operation of 
        vehicles described in section 5(b) on covered Interstate System 
        highways have on the safety of the overall highway network in 
        Maine, including the net effects on single-vehicle and 
        multiple-vehicle collision rates for such vehicles.