House passes HB 57 after debate and amendments to exempt some agricultural axle weights and adjust liability rules

Representative Fox moved the floor amendments to House Bill 57 and defended a new agricultural axle exemption that would allow a limited 2,000‑pound tandem‑axle allowance on state highways (not interstates), saying farmers and livestock haulers lack easy access to scales and animals can shift during transit. "They do not have access to scales," Fox said, arguing the change aligns state policy with what is legal on some Colorado and Idaho interstates. Opponents pressed for parity with common carriers, asking how enforcement officers could distinguish agricultural loads from commercial freight; one member argued "if we're gonna give a £2,000 allowance for agriculture people, then we ought to give a £2,000 allowance to the common carrier who handles the commerce of our state."

Representative Mel Brown offered and the House adopted an additional amendment addressing liability: the amendment would exempt an operator from liability for surface damage to a highway when the operator was compelled by an employer to drive a truck known to violate overweight limits. Brown said the change responds to situations where a worker is forced by an employer to run an overweight route to avoid ports of entry.

After debate and adoption of the pink‑sheet amendments (including grammar/clarifications and deletion of a garbage‑industry exemption at the industry's request), the House voted on HB 57 as amended. The Clerk announced the tally as 55 affirmative and 13 negative votes; the bill passed and will be referred to the Senate for further action. The sponsor summarized: "we really aren't trying to do anything sinister in this bill... everything we have discussed here today as amendments is just simply reviewing the language in the current statute."