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Senate passes Ericksen bill
to give dairy farmers
relief from weight limits
Dairy farmers in
Washington would be able to move overweight manure spreaders on county
roads under a bill passed on a 47-0 vote in the Washington State Senate
yesterday.
House Bill 1117 is prime
sponsored by Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, who learned last summer
dairy farmers were being notified their manure spreaders were not legal
to move on local roads. According to state law, the overweight vehicles
must be patrolled, flagged, lighted, and signed.
“Many small farmers are just trying to move implements from one area to
another. We shouldn’t be placing unfair restrictions on these kinds of
traditional farming practices,” said Ericksen. “This bill strikes a
balance by accommodating the needs of our local farmers while still
keeping our roads in working order.”
Ericksen’s bill permits
the movement of overweight manure spreaders on county roads and also
calls on the Legislature to look into policies regarding the movement of
all farm implements.
“What we’ve come to learn is dairy farmers aren’t the only ones affected
by weight restrictions. We have a lot of overweight farm implements
moving on our roads,” said Ericksen. “Unfortunately, the law doesn’t
account for this kind of traditional farming activity. We want to look
at this over the next few months and see if we can create a solution
that will allow for the continued movement of farm implements along
county roads.”
House Bill 1117 now heads
to the governor’s desk where it is expected to be signed into law.
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For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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