ATSSA Signal September October 2019

American Traffic Safety Services Association 10 Government Relations ATSSA advocacy saves lives in Texas State legislature passes bill to protect TxDOT contractors on roadways The work of ATSSA members in Texas has paidoff, as the Texas state legislature moved to pass House Bill 1226 earlier this year. Sponsored by Representa- tive Mike Lang (R-Texas), the bill called for the inclusion of contractors work- ing on behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in the state’s “Slow Down/Move Over” law. Prior to thepassageof thebill, the lawhad only included TxDOT employees within its scope. Now it includes all roadway workers, public andprivate, and requires that motorists slow their vehicles and move away from the lane where road- way work is being performed or face a fine from law enforcement. “Getting this bill passed was a big win for Texas roadways and for our members across the state. Not including contrac- tors in the protectionswas a big loophole that left several roadway workers doing crucial work on roadways unprotected under the law. We advocated during our most recent Texas State Advocacy Day to get this legislation introduced. To see it come to fruition and passed into law demonstrates the hard work and dedi- cation of our members,” said ATSSA Vice President of Government Relations Nate Smith. In February 2019, Texas ATSSA Chapter members met with more than 20 state In January, 27 ATSSA members met with 32 Texas legislators about legislation related to roadway safety and how it saves lives. This and other advocacy efforts of the Texas ATSSA Chapter resulted in the passing of a bill, which now requires motorists to slow down and move over for all roadway workers.