Spotlight on Arkansas A high-profile U.S. Senate race and why it matters to trucking
By Steve Brawner Contributing Writer
Two years after being ignored dur-
ing the presidential election campaign, Arkansas has been ground zero during the 2014 U.S. Senate race. That’s what happens when your state helps deter- mine the fate of the world – or at least which political party controls the U.S. Senate. Protecting the collective interests
of the trucking industry and infra- structure hinges on past and ongoing policies that establish hours-of-service rules and long-term highway fund- ing. The congressmen and women who shape that legislation are essential to maintaining the health of the industry.
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As control of Congress seems on the verge of change, the spotlight is on key races to see what the future might hold for future trucking policies. In case your television dial has
been stuck on PBS this past year-and- a-half, the Arkansas Senate race pits the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Mark Pryor, against first-term U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, the Republican who currently represents Arkansas’ 4th District. The race has national implications,
which is why it’s been such a focus of both Democrats and Republicans. Republicans already control the House of Representatives and almost certainly will continue to do so after the elec- tion. If they win the Senate, they will technically control Congress. What that control would actu-
ally yield is debatable. It would be a large symbolic victory for the GOP and result in new committee chair- manships. However, neither party is expected to have a 60 member majority, which is needed to end the ever-present threat of a filibuster. So regardless, a bi-partisan agenda will be required to move anything forward in 2015. In recent remarks, Chris Spear,
Vice President of the American Trucking Associations, told trucking executives, “Procedurally speaking, a political change in the Senate won’t have a tremendous impact on big ticket issues like the highway bill, largely because the Senate will remain a work- ing majority, not a voting majority.”
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 5 2014
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