I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2460 
To require the Secretary of Transportation to establish a working group 
to study regulatory and legislative improvements for the livestock, insect, 
and agricultural commodities transport industries, and for other pur-
poses. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 1, 2019 
Mr. PENCE (for himself and Mr. PETERSON) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Transportation to establish a 
working group to study regulatory and legislative im-
provements for the livestock, insect, and agricultural 
commodities transport industries, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Modernizing Agricul-
tural Transportation Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. WORKING GROUP ON IMPROVING THE LIVESTOCK, 
INSECT, AND AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES 
TRANSPORT INDUSTRIES. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) AGRICULTURAL
COMMODITY.—The term 
‘‘agricultural commodity’’ means— 
(A) an agricultural commodity as defined 
in section 518 of the Federal Crop Insurance 
Act (7 U.S.C. 1518); and 
(B) an agricultural commodity as defined 
in section 395.2 of title 49, Code of Federal 
Regulations (or successor regulations). 
(2) LIVESTOCK.—The term ‘‘livestock’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 602 of the Emer-
gency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988 (7 
U.S.C. 1471). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
(4) WORKING
GROUP.—The term ‘‘working 
group’’ means the working group established by the 
Secretary under subsection (b). 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 120 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es-
tablish a working group— 
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(1) consider the impact of the existing hours of 
service regulations under subpart A of part 395 of 
title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor 
regulations), on the commercial transport of live-
stock, insects, and agricultural commodities; 
(2) identify incompatibilities and other chal-
lenges and concerns caused by the hours of service 
regulations described in paragraph (1) and electronic 
logging device regulations under subpart B of part 
395 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or suc-
cessor regulations), on the transport of livestock, in-
sects, and agricultural commodities; 
(3) identify initiatives and regulatory changes 
that maintain and protect the safety of highways 
and allow for the safe, efficient, and productive mar-
ketplace transport of livestock, insects, and agricul-
tural commodities; and 
(4) consider such other issues as the Secretary 
considers appropriate. 
(e) COMPOSITION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary (or a des-
ignee) shall serve as the chair of the working group. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The working group 
shall be composed of members appointed by the 
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Secretary, including individuals with knowledge 
and expertise that includes highway safety, the 
commercial motor vehicle and transportation in-
dustries, animal husbandry, and the transpor-
tation of livestock, insects, and agricultural 
commodities. 
(B) REQUIREMENT.—The working group 
shall include, at a minimum, representatives 
of— 
(i) the Department of Agriculture; 
(ii) State agencies, including State de-
partments of agriculture and transpor-
tation; 
(iii) highway and commercial motor 
vehicle safety organizations; 
(iv) agricultural producers including 
producers of livestock, insects, and agricul-
tural commodities; and 
(v) commercial motor vehicle opera-
tors, including small business operators 
and operators who haul livestock, insects, 
and agricultural commodities. 
(f) WORKING GROUP REPORT AND REGULATORY AC-
TION.— 
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(1) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date on which the working group is established, the 
working group shall submit to the Secretary a report 
that includes— 
(A) the findings of the working group, in-
cluding a summary of the views expressed by 
individuals and entities consulted under sub-
section (c); and 
(B) the initiatives and regulatory and leg-
islative changes that the working group identi-
fies as necessary to protect the safety of high-
ways and allow for the safe, efficient, and pro-
ductive marketplace transport of livestock, in-
sects, and agricultural commodities. 
(2) REGULATORY
CHANGES.—Not later than 
120 days after the date on which the Secretary re-
ceives the report under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall propose regulatory changes that take into ac-
count the findings and recommendations of the 
working group, including— 
(A) changes to the hours of service regula-
tions under subpart A of part 395 of title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regu-
lations); 
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(B) changes to the electronic logging de-
vice regulations under subpart B of part 395 of 
title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or suc-
cessor regulations), including changes to regula-
tions relating to the performance and design of 
electronic logging devices; and 
(C) any other changes that the working 
group recommends. 
(3) APPLICATION.—Subsections (a) through (f) 
of section 31137 of title 49, United States Code (in-
cluding any regulations promulgated to carry out 
those subsections), shall not apply to commercial 
motor vehicles hauling livestock, insects, or agricul-
tural commodities until the date on which the Sec-
retary proposes regulatory changes under paragraph 
(2). 
(g) REPORT
AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
BY
SEC-
RETARY.—Not later than 30 days after the date on which 
the Secretary receives the report of the working group 
under subsection (f)(1), the Secretary shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report, including— 
(1) a summary of the views expressed by the in-
dividuals and entities consulted under subsection (c); 
(2) a description of the findings of the working 
group, including the identification of any areas of 
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general consensus among the non-Federal partici-
pants in the consultation under subsection (c); and 
(3) any recommendations for legislative or regu-
latory action that would assist in maintaining and 
improving the safe, humane, and market-efficient 
transport of livestock, insects, and agricultural com-
modities. 
Æ 
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