Hybrid legislation introduced in the House of Representatives

Greetings. I received the following message from several different email lists run by the National Federation of the Blind concerning legislation on hybrid cars. I'm posting this here for those interested and politely ask you to contact your representatives to get them to co-sponsor this legislation, or if their name is listed below, to thank them. If we can get this legislation, or some similar, to pass, then it can start the process of making people, auto makers, and others more aware of hybrid cars and the possible danger they pose from someone (blind or otherwise) not hearing them.

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Fellow Federationists:

It pleases me to write to you announcing that our silent car
legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives. Ed
Towns, Democrat of New York, and Cliff Stearns, Republican of Florida,
has introduced H.R. 5734, the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008.
Therefore, your help is needed to gain cosponsors of this important
legislation.

This legislation assures that blind and other pedestrians
will receive the information needed to make proper judgments regarding
the presence of vehicles, in order that we can travel safely. It does
so by:

a.. Requiring the Department of Transportation to convene a study
within ninety days of its enactment;
b.. Requiring the study to determine whether a minimum sound standard
or some other approach will provide blind and other pedestrians the most
accurate information regarding speed, location, and direction of travel
for the vehicles;
c.. Requiring that, when making this consideration, the study must
evaluate the cost of each method examined, including the cost of
providing all pedestrians any technology they must possess under each
approach; and
d.. Requiring that the study consider which approach permits the
greatest amount of independent spontaneous travel for blind and other
pedestrians.

Once the study reaches its conclusions, the Department of
Transportation must report its findings to Congress, and within ninety
days of the study's end, the Department of Transportation must establish
a vehicle safety standard that implements the results of the study.
Finally, two years after the safety standard is implemented, all new
cars sold in the United States must comply.

This legislation is under jurisdiction of the House
Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the House
Committee on Energy and Commerce. This subcommittee and its full
committee are the most important members for this bill, though we want
all the members that we can get to cosponsor this legislation. Both of
our original sponsors are members of the subcommittee, and Stearns was
its chair when republicans controlled the House of Representatives.

Now that the bill has been introduced, we need cosponsors.
This is so because the attention gained will push Committee and House
leadership to conduct hearings that will help us get out the message
that, if solutions are not promptly found and implemented, silent cars
will place the independence of blind Americans in real peril. To help
with this task, it is critical that you get your representatives to sign
on to H.R. 5734. Recall that you can reach the Capitol switchboard by
calling (202) 225-3121. I am providing lists of the subcommittee and
full committee members, but you are urged to get all members of the
House to join as cosponsors. Thank you for all you do. Let us now make
a difference in assuring that we can hear cars now and in the future.

Most cordially,
James McCarthy
Government Programs Specialist
National Federation of the Blind


FULL COMMITTEE on Energy and Commerce

John D. Dingell (MI), Chairman
(Ratio: 31-26)

Henry A. Waxman, CA
Joe Barton, TX, Ranking Member
Edward J. Markey, MA
Ralph M. Hall, TX
Rick Boucher, VA
Fred Upton, MI
Edolphus Towns, NY
Cliff Stearns, FL
Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ
Nathan Deal, GA
Bart Gordon, TN
Ed Whitfield, KY
Bobby L. Rush, IL
Barbara Cubin, WY
Anna G. Eshoo, CA
John Shimkus, IL
Bart Stupak, MI
Heather Wilson, NM
Eliot L. Engel, NY
John Shadegg, AZ
Gene Green, TX
Charles W. "Chip" Pickering, MS
Diana DeGette, CO, Vice Chair
Vito Fossella, NY
Lois Capps, CA
Roy Blunt, MO
Mike Doyle, PA
Steve Buyer, IN
Jane Harman, CA
George Radanovich, CA
Tom Allen, ME
Joseph R. Pitts, PA
Jan Schakowsky, IL
Mary Bono Mack, CA
Hilda L. Solis, CA
Greg Walden, OR
Charles A. Gonzalez, TX
Lee Terry, NE
Jay Inslee, WA
Mike Ferguson, NJ
Tammy Baldwin, WI
Mike Rogers, MI
Mike Ross, AR
Sue Wilkins Myrick, NC
Darlene Hooley, OR
John Sullivan, OK
Anthony D. Weiner, NY
Tim Murphy, PA
Jim Matheson, UT
Michael C. Burgess, TX
G. K. Butterfield, NC
Marsha Blackburn, TN
Charlie Melancon, LA
John Barrow, GA
Baron P. Hill, IN
Vacancy


SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, TRADE, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
(Ratio: 16-13)
Bobby L. Rush (IL), Chairman
Jan Schakowsky, IL, Vice Chair
Ed Whitfield, KY, Ranking Member
G. K. Butterfield, NC
Cliff Stearns, FL
John Barrow, GA
Charles W. "Chip" Pickering, MS
Baron P. Hill, IN
Vito Fossella, NY
Edward J. Markey, MA
George Radanovich, CA
Rick Boucher, VA
Joseph R. Pitts, PA
Edolphus Towns, NY
Mary Bono Mack, CA
Diana DeGette, CO
Lee Terry, NE
Charles A. Gonzalez, TX
Sue Wilkins Myrick, NC
Mike Ross, AR
John Sullivan, OK
Darlene Hooley, OR
Michael C. Burgess, TX
Anthony D. Weiner, NY
Marsha Blackburn, TN
Jim Matheson, UT
Joe Barton, TX (Ex Officio)
Charlie Melancon, LA
John D. Dingell (Ex Officio)