SAPAA Member Advisory
October 07, 2005
Dear SAPAA Member:
H.R. 3, Title: To authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes was signed into law by the President on August 10, 2005. In the body of that law, The Secretary shall conduct a rulemaking to permit a State licensed or certified marriage and family therapist, to act as a substance abuse professional under subpart O of part 40 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations.
"Interim Final Rule" regarding MFTs as SAPs, will be released by the Department of Transportation within the Federal Register in the near future.
SAPAA supports the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) in its effort to move this Interim Final Rule forward and we will keep you apprised of this process. See below for the appropriate sections in H.R. 3:
SEC. 4148. SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROFESSIONALS.
The Secretary shall conduct a rulemaking to permit a State licensed or certified marriage and family therapist, to act as a substance abuse professional under subpart O of part 40 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations.
SEC. 4149. OFFICE OF INTERMODALISM.
Section 5503 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (e) by inserting Amounts reserved under section 5504(d) not awarded to States as grants may be used by the Director to provide technical assistance under this subsection.' after 'organizations.';
(2) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (h); and
(3) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
(f) National Intermodal System Improvement Plan-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Director, in consultation with the advisory board established under section 5502 and other public and private transportation interests, shall develop a plan to improve the national intermodal transportation system. The plan shall include:
(A) an assessment and forecast of the national intermodal transportation system's impact on mobility, safety, energy consumption, the environment, technology, international trade, economic activity, and quality of life in the United States;
(B) an assessment of the operational and economic attributes of each passenger and freight mode of transportation and the optimal role of each mode in the national intermodal transportation system;
(C) a description of recommended intermodal and multi-modal research and development projects;
(D) a description of emerging trends that have an impact on the national intermodal transportation system;
(E) recommendations for improving intermodal policy, transportation decision-making, and financing to maximize mobility and the return on investment of Federal spending on transportation;
(F) an estimate of the impact of current Federal and State transportation policy on the national intermodal transportation system; and
(G) specific near and long-term goals for the national intermodal transportation system.
(2) PROGRESS REPORTS- The Director shall submit an initial report on the plan to improve the national intermodal transportation system 2 years after the date of enactment of the Surface Transportation Safety Improvement Act of 2005, and a follow-up report 2 years after that, to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives. The progress report shall--
(A) describe progress made toward achieving the plan's goals;
(B) describe challenges and obstacles to achieving the plan's goals;
(C) update the plan to reflect changed circumstances or new developments; and
(D) make policy and legislative recommendations the Director believes are necessary and appropriate to achieve the goals of the plan.
(3) PLAN DEVELOPMENT FUNDING- Such sums as may be necessary from the administrative expenses of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration shall be reserved by the Secretary of Transportation each year for the purpose of completing and updating the plan to improve the national intermodal transportation plan.
(g) Impact Measurement Methodology; Impact Review- The Director and the Director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics shall jointly--
(1) develop, in consultation with the modal administrations, and State and local planning organizations, common measures to compare transportation investment decisions across the various modes of transportation; and
(2) formulate a methodology for measuring the impact of intermodal transportation on--
(A) the environment;
(B) public health and welfare;
(C) energy consumption;
(D) the operation and efficiency of the transportation system;
(E) congestion, including congestion at the Nation's ports; and
(F) the economy and employment.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations- There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2006 through 2009 to carry out this chapter.'.
SAPAA WORKS!
Jeffrey M. Morrison
Executive Director
12 Cottage Field Court,
Germantown, MD 20874
ExDir@sapaa.com
Toll-Free: (800)672-7229
Fax: 281-664-3152
www.sapaa.com
DISCLAIMER: Drugtec Systems Inc. is providing this information as a client service. The information is provided as an informal educational advisory program. The information is not an official statement on the law or Federal regulations. The user should be aware that, while we try to keep the information accurate and up-to-date, there often will be a delay between official publication of the regulations and their appearance on this web site. Due to the limited scope of material covered, these news updates are not a complete source of all Federal or provincial alcohol and drug testing regulations. Therefore, we make no expressed or implied guarantees of the factual or legal accuracy of the information provided. The Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations remain the official sources for regulatory information. Any errors brought to our attention will be rectified.
