By a 55-34 vote, the U.S. Senate has defeated a proposal that would have provided $70 million for a global positioning system for trucks carrying hazardous materials, according to press reports. New York Sen. Charles Schumer proposed the amendment, which would have been part of the homeland security appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005. Sen. Thad Cochran, head of the Senate Appropriations Committee's Homeland Security Subcommittee, requested the amendment be tabled, saying is was unnecessary because many measures within the legislation were already being pursued. Also, he said, it could have a negative effect on the economy by financially burdening transporters of hazardous materials.
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