Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he would resign by Aug. 24 in the wake of a report alleging serial sexual harassment.
Cuomo did not take responsibility for the charges, but added that the New York state government would not be able to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic if he remained in office. Cuomo claimed that he meant to be “endearing” and “was joking” in his interactions with women, but that he did not sexually harass them.
“I can not be the cause of that,” he said. “I love New York, and I love you.”
Cuomo refused to admit any wrongdoing, despite the fact that Attorney General Letitia James’ report found that he sexually harassed eleven women, including a state trooper assigned to his protective detail. Instead, he blamed a changing culture and politicians anxious to take him down. (RELATED: Cuomo Accuser Details Grope Attack Inside Executive Mansion In First Interview After Report)
VERIFY: Yes, the infrastructure bill would create a pilot program to study a mileage tax
Participants would keep paying the gas tax, but would also start paying a per-mile user fee. Those rates would be established by the Department of the Treasury, and once collected, the revenue would go to the Highway Trust Fund. The government would then refund the costs for these participants.
On social media, there are a lot of claims about the proposed pilot to study the mileage tax. The Verify team read the bill, and spoke to experts to get the facts.
WASHINGTON — The bipartisan infrastructure bill is a massive document, with more than 2,700 pages. For this reason, there is a lot of misinformation online about what policies are included in the bill.
One claim getting a lot of attention relates to a pilot program studying the possibility of a per-mile user fee, which would charge drivers by the distance they drive, rather than the gas they consume.
The Verify team read through the bill, and spoke with experts, to breakdown what the bill actually proposes.
THE QUESTION
Does the infrastructure bill contain a pilot program to test the mileage tax?
THE SOURCES
Michele Nellenbach, Bipartisan Policy Center
THE ANSWER
Yes, if passed, the bill would create a pilot program, to evaluate the effectiveness and practicability of a per-mile user fee. Participants who volunteer to be in the study, will pay mileage fees, although they will be refunded by the government.
WHAT WE FOUND
The Verify team received multiple emails from viewers, who were curious about the proposed per-mile user fee.
"Does president Biden's infrastructure Bill contain a pilot program to test mileage tax," asked a viewer named Doris.
The claim has been spreading on social media as well. To find out the truth, the Verify team looked to the bill itself, and got context from experts in the field.
Details of the proposed pilot program can be found on page 508 of the bill, in section 13002, titled "National Motor Vehicle Per-Mile User Fee Pilot."
THE QUESTION
Does the infrastructure bill mandate that new cars include alcohol monitoring systems, as claimed online?
THE SOURCES
Text of the Infrastructure Bill, H.R. 3684
THE ANSWER
Yes. The bill mandates that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration must create rules mandating that alcohol monitoring systems be required for all new cars. However, the text in the bill does not support the use of breathalyzers.
WHAT WE KNOW
The claim about alcohol monitoring systems has received a lot of attention, especially from those critical about the expansiveness of the bill. But advocates against drunk driving have celebrated the policy.
Infrastructure bill would mandate vehicles have alcohol monitoring systems
A bipartisan infrastructure bill that was passed in the Senate Tuesday takes things a step further. It is a trillion-dollar plan to fix the country's roads and bridges.
Yet halfway through the plan, on page 1,066, there's a requirement involving the cars we'll be purchasing six years from now. They'll have to contain alcohol monitoring systems.
HENRIETTA, N.Y. (WHAM) — WHAM-TV's morning anchor Matt Molloy drives a Volvo equipped with sensor technology to help keep him safe.
"It's actually steering for me now," he said as he engaged cruise control. "If it senses I'm not touching the wheel, it will beep."
Now," he continued, "it's telling me to apply steering again or it's going to disengage.
A bipartisan infrastructure bill that was passed in the Senate Tuesday takes things a step further. It is a trillion-dollar plan to fix the country's roads and bridges.
Yet halfway through the plan, on page 1,066, there's a requirement involving the cars we'll be purchasing six years from now. They'll have to contain alcohol monitoring systems.
The full bill, showing page 1,066 regarding alcohol monitoring systems, is embedded below:
2021 U.S. Senate Infrastructure Bill by Adam Forgie on Scribd
The plan calls for "passive" systems to monitor the performance of a driver, for example, by using eye scans. Or, it requires automakers to passively gauge blood alcohols levels, perhaps by measuring them in the air of the vehicle.
It stops short of mandating breathalyzers or ignition devices but leaves the door open.
Lindsay Tomidy is with the Monroe County Stop DWI Program and sees people who have been convicted of DWI, perhaps involving a crash or injury, who are required to use those devices.
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