Sure, it's fun to go fast. But several lawmakers complained last week that matters were whizzing by out of control when Congress agreed to allow states to raise the speed limit to 65 m.p.h. on local highways. In a feat of legislative legerdemain, proponents of the higher speed limit attached an amendment to the $600 billion 1988 spending bill, bypassing the safety-minded House Public Works and Transportation Committee.
Once the long-delayed spending bill reached the full Congress on Dec. 21, few legislators noticed the amendment, which permits as many as 20 states to lift the 55-m.p.h. limit on divided highways in...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
