2014: Schweikert Voted Against Increasing Vehicle Safety Enforcement Funding By $5 Million. In June 2014, Schweikert effectively voted against an amendment to the FY 2015 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Appropriations bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, "would [have] increase[d] funds for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's [NHTSA] vehicle safety enforcement programs by $5,000,000 and decrease[d] funds for the Federal Transit Administration's administrative expenses by the same amount." The vote was on a motion to recommit the bill to the House Appropriations Committee with instructions that it be reported back immediately with the specified amendment. The House rejected the motion by a vote of 195 to 227. [House Vote 296, 6/10/14; Congressional Quarterly, 6/10/14; Congressional Actions, H.R. 4745]
Motion's Sponsor Argued Vehicle Safety Depended On NHTSA Investigators Having The Necessary Resources, But The Un-amended Bill Contained Millions Less Than The Administration Requested For NHTSA Operations And Research. According to the Congressional Record, Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), the motion's sponsor, said, "[T]he free market won't protect consumers by itself. We have learned over the decades that consumer safety depends not only on our automakers, but also on our Department of Transportation having the resources to conduct investigations and enforce our recall system. [...] I also know oversight won't save lives, unless we provide investigators the resources they need to keep our vehicles safe. [...] Unfortunately, the bill before us today provides millions less than the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has requested for operations and research. My motion to recommit adds $5 million for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle safety enforcement program. This amendment would not add one penny to the deficit. Mr. Speaker, it shouldn't take a record settlement, after years of litigation, to bring some small measure of closure to victims and their families following a preventable defect, nor should it take 10 years to issue a recall once a major problem is discovered." [Congressional Record, 6/10/14]
Opponents Argued Simply Adding Additional Money Would Not Improve Vehicle Safety At This Time; Instead, What Was Needed Was To Examine The Agency's Powers And Authorities When Congress Next Reauthorized These Programs. According to the Congressional Record, House Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee chairman Tom Latham (R-IA) said, "[T]he bill we considered is a good piece of legislation that adequately funds critical transportation and housing programs, programs that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle support, and it does so within the confines of a reduced budget. The motion specifically adds money to NHTSA's administration account. Unfortunately, simply throwing money at a problem will not solve the problem. We have an opportunity in the next surface reauthorization bill to look at NHTSA's authority and regulatory ability. It is kind of a surprise to have this motion now. We have gone through 2 days under a totally open rule. This could have been considered in regular order. Mr. Speaker, this is just an effort to grind the appropriations process bills to a halt." [Congressional Record, 6/10/14]
2015: Schweikert Voted Against Requiring Used Cars For Sale To Display Additional Vehicle History Information. In November 2015, Schweikert voted against an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "require[d] the Transportation secretary to make the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle safety databases more publicly accessible and require[d] certain additional information regarding vehicle history to be displayed on used cars for sale." The underlying legislation was a surface transportation reauthorization. The vote was on the amendment. The House rejected the amendment by a vote of 176 to 251. [House Vote 619, 11/5/15; Congressional Quarterly, 11/5/15; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 821; Congressional Actions, H.R. 22]
Amendment Would Require That Consumers Purchasing Or Leasing A Used Vehicle Are Provided Specific Vehicle Damage And Recall Repair History. In a floor speech, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) said, "My amendment would also increase the amount of information provided to consumers who are purchasing or leasing used vehicles, including specific vehicle damage history and recall repair history. It would include that information in the Used Car Buyers Guide, which already must be posted on each used vehicle that is offered for sale; and it would inform consumers about the Web site, which is where they can find more information about their specific vehicle history." [Congressional Record, 11/4/15]
Amendment Would Eliminate Regional Recalls. In a floor speech, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) said, "Finally, this amendment eliminates the flawed system of regional recalls. Regional recalls limit remedies to specific States. This prevents vehicles which have traveled across the country from being recalled." [Congressional Record, 11/4/15]