NAFTA LEGISLATION GETS APPROVAL

The National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII) expressed its approval that HR 2299 (the Department of Transportation [DOT] and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 recently signed by President Bush) provides funding to establish the safety mandates now required for Mexican trucks to roll under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Compromise legislation agreed upon earlier addressed the critical issue of placing adequate numbers of inspectors at Mexican borders, a safety issue of great concern to the NAII since 1995. With funding in place, the NAII will continue to work closely with the Tri-Lateral Insurance Committee under DOT to smooth out differences in insurance coverage particularly between the U. S. and Mexico.