Topic: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Publication: Congressional Record
Speaker: Congressman Josh Gottheimer Date: 4 April 2022 |
(Mr. GOTTHEIMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the crucial investment my bipartisan amendment to the MORE Act will make to support local law enforcement and to protect our children, families, and communities. My provision, which passed with a strong bipartisan majority, will invest $10 million for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to study technologies and methods that law enforcement may use to determine whether a driver is impaired by marijuana in their system. We know that marijuana significantly impairs judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time. Studies have found a direct relationship between blood THC concentration and impaired driving ability. In fact, drivers under the influence of marijuana regularly cause traffic collisions. We must give our law enforcement officers the tools to detect impaired drivers and get them off the road--and to always have their backs. Safety is always my top priority, and I am proud to lead efforts that invest in our law enforcement and protect our families. I strongly urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass my critically important provision, to ensure that law enforcement has the tools necessary to keep roads safe for our families. This investment is crucial to protecting our families from the dangers of impaired driving.