Johnson Joins Bipartisan Group of Senators in Calling for Increased Flexibility for Dairy Farmers in Transportation Bill

Statement

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Kelly Ayotte (D-N.H.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Angus King (I-Maine) this week in calling for flexibility for America's dairy farmers in the recently-passed Surface Transportation bill. The senators sent a letter to bipartisan leaders on the conference committee asking that the final bill allow bulk milk trucks to carry milk without being forced to offload portions, which increases food safety risks for consumers and costs for dairy farmers.

"Each day, more than 12,500 bulk milk trucks pick up milk at farms across the country and move it to over 2,000 processing plants. The transportation of milk is an issue that affects businesses and consumers in every region and in every state," the senators wrote. "We urge you to support language that was included in the House-passed version of H.R. 22, the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act, that would classify milk as a non-divisible load. This provision would allow states to issue special permits to bulk milk trucks, giving them more flexibility to ensure that milk is delivered in a timely manner and in compliance with federal and state food safety and security standards."

The language, offered by Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT-5) and Richard Hanna (R-NY-22), was included in the House-passed version of the bill but was not included the bill passed by the Senate.

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