One small word is all that’s keeping a bill to tighten restrictions on commercial drivers and those who employ them from passing.

The Alaska House and Senate are wrangling over differences between their two versions of the bill, HB124.

HB124 would make it illegal for an employer of a commercial driver to encourage their drivers to violate federal, state or local laws regarding railroad crossings. The law also calls for the suspension of those drivers’ licenses.

After the bill passed the House and moved to the Senate, members of the upper chamber added one word to one line of the bill. In listing those actions that would incur a penalty under the bill, the original text listed “operating a commercial motor vehicle in violation ofa federal or state statute or regulation, or a local law or ordinance, relating to railroad-highway grade crossings.” The Senate added the word “knowingly” to the beginning of that sentence.

The bill passed the Alaska House by a vote of 34-1 on March 12, and then the amended version passed the Senate 19-0 on April 29. A conference committee was seated May 2 to work out the one-word difference.

--by Mark H. Reddig, associate editor

Mark Reddig can be reached at mreddig@landlinemag.com.