II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1433 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve highway safety and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 21, 2015 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. HOEVEN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, and Mr. BOOKER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve highway 

safety 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 ‘‘Improving Driver Safe5 ty Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DISTRACTED DRIVING INCENTIVE GRANTS. 

7 Section 405(e) of title 23, United States Code, is 

8 amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘includes dis2 tracted driving issues as part of the State’s driver’s 

3 license examination and’’ after ‘‘any State that’’; 

4 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

6 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

7 (B) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking 

8 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

9 and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(D) does not provide for an exception 

12 that specifically allows a driver to text through 

13 a personal wireless communication device while 

14 stopped in traffic.’’; 

15 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

16 (A) by striking subparagraph (C); 

17 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as 

18 subparagraph (C); 

19 (C) in subparagraph (C)(ii), as redesig20 nated, by striking the period at the end and in21 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

22 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(D) does not provide for an exception 

24 that specifically allows a driver younger than 18 


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1 years of age to use a personal wireless commu2 nication device while stopped in traffic.’’; 

3 (4) in paragraph (4)(C), by striking ‘‘section 

4 31152’’ and inserting ‘‘section 31136’’; 

5 (5) by amending paragraph (6) to read as fol6 lows: 

7 ‘‘(6) DISTRACTED DRIVING ENFORCEMENT

8 GRANTS.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

10 use up to 50 percent of the amounts available 

11 for grants under this subsection to award 

12 grants to any State that— 

13 ‘‘(i) in fiscal year 2016— 

14 ‘‘(I) has a basic text messaging 

15 statute, as determined by the Sec16 retary, that— 

17 ‘‘(aa) is applicable to drivers 

18 of all ages; and 

19 ‘‘(bb) makes violation of the 

20 basic text messaging statute a 

21 primary offense; 

22 ‘‘(II) participates in the annual 

23 distracted driving law enforcement 

24 mobilization coordinated by the Sec25 retary; and 


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1 ‘‘(III) is otherwise ineligible for a 

2 grant under this subsection; 

3 ‘‘(ii) in fiscal year 2017— 

4 ‘‘(I) meets the requirements 

5 under clause (i); 

6 ‘‘(II) imposes increased fines for 

7 repeat violations; and 

8 ‘‘(III) has a statute that pro9 hibits drivers who are younger than 

10 18 years of age from using a personal 

11 wireless communications device while 

12 driving. 

13 ‘‘(B) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.— 

14 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clauses 

15 (ii) and (iii), amounts received by a State 

16 under subparagraph (A) may be used for 

17 activities related to the enforcement of dis18 tracted driving laws. 

19 ‘‘(ii) FISCAL YEAR 2016.—In fiscal 

20 year 2016, up to 15 percent of the 

21 amounts received by a State under sub22 paragraph (A) may be used for any eligible 

23 project or activity under section 402. 

24 ‘‘(iii) FISCAL YEAR 2017.—In fiscal 

25 year 2017, up to 25 percent of the 


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1 amounts received by a State under sub2 paragraph (A) may be used for any eligible 

3 project or activity under section 402.’’; and 

4 (6) in paragraph (9)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘, in5 cluding operation while temporarily stationary be6 cause of traffic, a traffic light or stop sign, or other7 wise’’. 

8 SEC. 3. BARRIERS TO DATA COLLECTION REPORT. 

9 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact10 ment of this Act, the National Highway Traffic Safety Ad11 ministration shall submit a report to the Committee on 

12 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the 

13 Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 

14 Representatives, and the Committee on Transportation 

15 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives that— 

16 (1) identifies any legal and technical barriers to 

17 capturing adequate data on the prevalence of wire18 less communications devices while driving; and 

19 (2) provides recommendations on how to ad20 dress such barriers. 

Æ 


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