Motorcoach Safety, Accountability, and Technology Act of 2013

Summary: Motorcoach Safety, Accountability, and Technology Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue regulations to ensure that an individual conducts a brake performance inspection before each motorcoach trip to ensure that the brake performance satisfies all federal law requirements. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to: (1) establish minimum performance standards for onboard electronic air brake monitoring systems for motorcoaches, (2) require motorcoaches to be equipped with automatic emergency braking and collision warning systems, (3) require motorcoaches with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds to be equipped with a lane departure warning system, and (4) require motorcoaches to be equipped with a device to limit maximum speed to 70 miles per hour. Requires the Secretary to make such technologies tamper resistant. Directs the Secretary to study the feasibility of requiring motorcoaches be retrofitted with such technologies. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to establish standards for motorcoaches to use regrooved, recapped, or retreaded tires. Revises Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program requirements.  Requires the Secretary to approve plans under which states agree to assume responsibility for improving motor carrier safety and adopt and to enforce commercial motor vehicle safety, hazardous materials transportation safety, or compatible regulations, standards, and orders if the plan ensures that (except in the case of an imminent or obvious safety hazard) an inspection of a passenger motorcoach is conducted at a station, terminal, border crossing maintenance facility, and destination (as under current law), but also a weigh station, rest stop, turnpike service area, or other location where adequate food, shelter, and sanitation facilities are available for passengers as well as passengers with disabilities. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Motorcoach Safety, Accountability, 
and Technology Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. BRAKE PERFORMANCE INSPECTIONS.

    Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall issue regulations to ensure that an 
individual conducts, before each trip of a motorcoach carried out by a 
provider of motorcoach services, a brake performance inspection for 
that motorcoach to ensure that the brake performance satisfies all 
requirements under Federal law.

SEC. 3. BRAKE MONITORING SYSTEMS.

    Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall issue regulations that--
            (1) establish minimum performance standards for any 
        electronic system onboard a motorcoach that is used to monitor 
        the performance of an air brake system of that motorcoach; and
            (2) require that each motorcoach with an air brake system, 
        if manufactured after the date that is 2 years after the 
        effective date of the standards established under paragraph 
        (1), be equipped with such an electronic system.

SEC. 4. AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING AND COLLISION WARNING SYSTEMS.

    Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall issue regulations requiring that each 
motorcoach manufactured after the effective date of such regulations be 
equipped with--
            (1) an automatic emergency braking system; and
            (2) a collision warning system.

SEC. 5. LANE DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEMS.

    Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall issue regulations requiring that each 
motorcoach manufactured after the effective date of such regulations, 
and with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, be 
equipped with a lane departure warning system.

SEC. 6. SPEED LIMITING DEVICES.

    Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall issue regulations requiring that each 
motorcoach manufactured after the effective date of such regulations be 
equipped with a device that limits the speed at which the motorcoach 
may travel to not more than 70 miles per hour.

SEC. 7. ADDITIONAL REGULATION REQUIREMENTS.

    In issuing regulations under sections 3, 4, 5, and 6 of this Act, 
the Secretary of Transportation shall--
            (1) require that the technologies mandated for motorcoaches 
        under those sections be tamper resistant; and
            (2) establish a process for certifying compliance with the 
        regulations.

SEC. 8. RETROFITTING.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of Transportation shall conduct a study 
on the feasibility of requiring that motorcoaches, if not manufactured 
with the technologies referenced in sections 3, 4, 5, and 6 of this 
Act, be retrofitted with such technologies.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the 
findings of the study conducted under subsection (a).

SEC. 9. REGROOVED, RECAPPED, AND RETREADED TIRES.

    Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall issue regulations that establish 
standards for the use of regrooved, recapped, or retreaded tires on a 
motorcoach.

SEC. 10. MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 31102(b)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
striking subparagraph (X) and inserting the following:
                    ``(X) except in the case of an imminent or obvious 
                safety hazard, ensures that an inspection of a vehicle 
                transporting passengers for a motor carrier of 
                passengers is conducted at a station, terminal, border 
                crossing, maintenance facility, destination, weigh 
                station, rest stop, turnpike service area, or a 
                location where adequate food, shelter, and sanitation 
                facilities are available for passengers and reasonable 
                accommodation is available for passengers with 
                disabilities; and''.

SEC. 11. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) Motorcoach.--The term ``motorcoach'' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 32702(6) of MAP-21, except that the 
        reference in such section to section 3038(a)(3) of the 
        Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (49 U.S.C. 5310 
        note) shall be treated as referring to such section 3038(a)(3) 
        as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of MAP-21.
            (2) Provider of motorcoach services.--The term ``provider 
        of motorcoach services'' has the meaning given that term in 
        section 32702(10) of MAP-21, except that the term 
        ``motorcoach'', as used in such section, shall be treated as 
        having the meaning given such term under paragraph (1) of this 
        section.