Peach Tree Times

A group of Republican governors recently announced their commitment to stimulating the clogged supply chain.

Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee is leading Operation Open Roads, the supply chain initiative outlined in a letter signed by 15 GOP governors, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. 

"Thanks to Georgia's long record of leadership on innovative solutions to supply chain, logistics and infrastructure, and workforce challenges, public and private sector leaders here in the Peach State have rolled up their sleeves and got to work addressing this crisis," Kemp said in a press release. "From expanding capacity at our Port in Savannah to streamlining the process for CDL license holders, we are laser-focused on getting essential goods to market, cutting government red tape and keeping hardworking Georgians employed."

The letter requested that the Biden administration suspend federal regulations that require commercial driver’s license holders to be 21 years old and lower the age to 18 years old, according to Fox Business.

The governors also urged Biden to suspend the federal mandate for COVID-19 vaccines for all private employees, Fox Business reported.

In the letter, governors asked to eliminate or suspend unnecessary taxes that create financial disincentives, Kemp's press release said.

Fox Business reported that executives in shipping, manufacturing and retail do not anticipate going back to normal for the industry until next year at the earliest. 

According to the release, governors from the following states are part of Operation Open Roads: Tennessee, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas. 

Kemp suggested that the federal government collaborate and encourage states to lower the age allowed for Commercial Drivers Licenses from 21 to 18 before Jan. 14, 2022, remove tax burdens that create "financial disincentives," end the federal level mandate on COVID-19 vaccines that creates job shortages and speak to private sector experts to create ways that leaders in the industry can "partner with local, state and federal governments to move the ball down the field."

"I call on the Biden administration to finally address this crisis by taking a page from Georgia's successful playbook and quickly implementing similar reforms at the federal level," Kemp said, according to the release.