I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3781 
To increase the minimum levels of financial responsibility for transporting 
property, and to index future increases to changes in inflation relating 
to medical care. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2019 
Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois (for himself, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. 
MENG, Mr. COHEN, Mr. PAYNE, and Mr. SOTO) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infra-
structure 
A BILL 
To increase the minimum levels of financial responsibility 
for transporting property, and to index future increases 
to changes in inflation relating to medical care. 
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 ‘‘Improving National 
Safety by Updating the Required Amount of Insurance 
Needed by Commercial Motor Vehicles per Event (IN-
SURANCE) Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) In passing the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, 
Public Law 96–296, Congress intended for the min-
imum insurance levels to maintain safety. According 
to the House Report No. 96–1069, ‘‘the action of 
the Committee in increasing financial responsibility 
is to encourage the carriers to engage in practices 
and procedures that will enhance the safety of their 
equipment so as to afford the best protection to the 
public.’’. 
(2) The National Transportation Policy Study 
Commission (which consisted of six Members of the 
Senate, six Members of the House of Representa-
tives, and seven public members appointed by the 
President) recommended mandatory minimum insur-
ance requirements of $1,000,000, in its 1979 Final 
Report to the Congress, National Transportation 
Policies through the Year 2000. The Report stated: 
‘‘As an example, all certificated motor carriers oper-
ating upon the highways should be obligated to carry 
adequate insurance (or proof of financial responsi-
bility equal to such insurance) to protect the public. 
The insurance should cover public liability, property, 
damage, cargo and environmental restoration with a 
$1 million for single occurrence, or another min-
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imum amount sufficient to require periodic ‘on site’ 
inspection by the insurance company, with the min-
imum to be updated regularly. Non-certificated 
motor carriers should be subject to similar stand-
ards.’’. 
(3) According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta-
tistics, the amount of $750,000, set in 1980 (the 
year of enactment), would have the same purchasing 
power as $4,923,153.29 in 2019, if the amount was 
raised to account for medical-cost inflation. 
SEC. 3. MINIMUM FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR TRANS-
PORTING PROPERTY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 31139(b) of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$750,000’’ 
and inserting ‘‘$4,923,154’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) ADJUSTMENT.—The Secretary, in con-
sultation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shall 
adjust the minimum level of financial responsibility 
under paragraph (2) quinquennially for inflation re-
lating to medical care.’’. 
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(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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