II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 786 

To require the Secretary of Transportation to review laws relating to the 

illegal passing of school buses and to execute a public safety messaging 

campaign relating to illegal passing of school buses, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 17 (legislative day, MARCH 16), 2021 

Mr. YOUNG (for himself and Mr. PETERS) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Transportation to review laws 

relating to the illegal passing of school buses and to 

execute a public safety messaging campaign relating to 

illegal passing of school buses, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop for School Buses 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ILLEGAL PASSING OF SCHOOL BUSES. 

7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 786 IS

1 (1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

2 means the Department of Transportation. 

3 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

4 the Secretary of Transportation. 

5 (b) REVIEW OF ILLEGAL PASSING LAWS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

7 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

8 shall— 

9 (A) prepare a compilation of illegal passing 

10 laws in all States, including— 

11 (i) levels of enforcement and penalties 

12 and enforcement issues relating to those 

13 laws; and 

14 (ii) the impact of those laws on illegal 

15 passing of school buses in each State; 

16 (B) review existing State laws that may in17 hibit effective school bus loading zone counter18 measures, including— 

19 (i) laws requiring camera visibility of 

20 the face of a driver for enforcement action; 

21 (ii) laws that may reduce stop-arm 

22 camera effectiveness; 

23 (iii) laws requiring an officer to wit24 ness an event for enforcement actions re25 lating to the event; and 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 786 IS

1 (iv) lack of primary enforcement for 

2 texting-and-driving offenses; 

3 (C) evaluate methods used by States to re4 view, document, and report to law enforcement 

5 school bus stop-arm violations; and 

6 (D) on completion of the compilation under 

7 subparagraph (A), prepare recommendations re8 garding best practices for effective approaches 

9 to address illegal passing of school buses. 

10 (2) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall publish 

11 the compilation and recommendations prepared 

12 under subparagraphs (A) and (D) of paragraph (1) 

13 on the website of the Department. 

14 (c) PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGING CAMPAIGN.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

16 the date on which the Secretary publishes the com17 pilation and recommendations under subsection 

18 (b)(2), the Secretary shall establish and carry out a 

19 public safety messaging campaign for distribution to 

20 States, divisions of motor vehicles, schools, and other 

21 public organizations to highlight the dangers of the 

22 illegal passing of school buses, including providing to 

23 students and the public information relating to safe 

24 loading and unloading of school buses. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 786 IS

1 (2) CONSULTATION.—In developing materials 

2 for the campaign under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

3 shall consult with— 

4 (A) public and private school bus industry 

5 representatives; and 

6 (B) States. 

7 (3) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall periodically 

8 update materials for the campaign under paragraph 

9 (1). 

10 (d) REVIEW OF TECHNOLOGIES.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

12 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

13 shall review and evaluate the effectiveness of various 

14 technologies to enhance school bus safety, includ15 ing— 

16 (A) cameras; 

17 (B) audible warning systems; 

18 (C) enhanced lighting; and 

19 (D) other technological solutions. 

20 (2) CONTENT.—The review and evaluation 

21 under paragraph (1)— 

22 (A) shall include an evaluation of, as appli23 cable— 

24 (i) the costs of new equipment; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 786 IS

1 (ii) potential impacts on overall school 

2 bus ridership; 

3 (iii) advanced technologies sur4 rounding loading zone safety; 

5 (iv) motion-activated detection sys6 tems that are capable of— 

7 (I) detecting pedestrians, 

8 bicyclists, and other road users lo9 cated near the exterior of a school 

10 bus; and 

11 (II) alerting the operator of a 

12 school bus of the road users described 

13 in subclause (I); and 

14 (v) school bus lighting systems, to en15 sure clear communication to surrounding 

16 drivers regarding appropriate actions; and 

17 (B) may include other technological solu18 tions that enhance school bus safety. 

19 (3) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the review 

20 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult 

21 with— 

22 (A) manufacturers of school buses or simi23 lar vehicles; 

24 (B) manufacturers of various technologies; 

25 and 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 786 IS

1 (C) school bus industry representatives. 

2 (4) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall publish 

3 the findings of the review under paragraph (1) on 

4 the website of the Department. 

5 (e) REVIEW OF DRIVER EDUCATION MATERIALS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

7 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

8 shall— 

9 (A) review driver education materials 

10 across all States to determine whether and the 

11 method by which illegal passing of school buses 

12 is addressed in— 

13 (i) driver education manuals; 

14 (ii) noncommercial driver’s license 

15 testing; 

16 (iii) road tests; and 

17 (iv) any other driver education mate18 rials; and 

19 (B) provide to Congress recommendations 

20 regarding the means by which States can im21 prove education regarding illegal passing of 

22 school buses, particularly with respect to new 

23 drivers. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 786 IS

1 (2) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the review 

2 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult 

3 with— 

4 (A) school bus industry representatives; 

5 (B) States; 

6 (C) motor vehicle administrators; and 

7 (D) other appropriate motor vehicle ex8 perts. 

9 (3) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall publish 

10 the findings of the review under paragraph (1) on 

11 the website of the Department. 

12 (f) REVIEW OF OTHER SAFETY ISSUES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

14 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

15 shall— 

16 (A) conduct research relating to the con17 nections between illegal passing of school buses 

18 and other safety issues, including— 

19 (i) distracted driving; 

20 (ii) morning darkness; 

21 (iii) poor visibility; 

22 (iv) illumination and reach of vehicle 

23 headlights; 

24 (v) speed limits; and 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 786 IS

1 (vi) school bus stop locations in rural 

2 areas; and 

3 (B) prepare a report describing the find4 ings of the research conducted under subpara5 graph (A). 

6 (2) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall publish 

7 the report prepared under paragraph (1)(B) on the 

8 website of the Department. 

Æ 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS