H-85                 _______________________________________________

                                            HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 19

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Representatives Sanders, Tanner and Isaacson

Read first time 2/8/85 and referred to Committee on Transportation.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, The national speed limit of fifty-five miles per hour was established ten years ago; and

          WHEREAS, The present average speed of motorists on the Federal Interstate Highways is sixty-five miles per hour; and

          WHEREAS, The Federal Interstate Highways were engineered to be safe for speeds up to eighty miles per hour; and

          WHEREAS, The ten-year experiment of the national speed limit of fifty-five miles per hour has proven to be a failure;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the United States Congress amend 23 U.S.C. § 154 to increase the national maximum speed limit from fifty-five to sixty-five miles per hour and that the United States Secretary of Transportation make the appropriate changes in administrative rules to implement the new speed limit.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the United States Secretary of Transportation, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.