II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1601 

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring all new 

passenger motor vehicles to be equipped with a child safety alert system, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 22, 2019 

Mr. WICKER (for himself, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, and Ms. CANTWELL) introduced 

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 

on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule 

requiring all new passenger motor vehicles to be equipped 

with a child safety alert system, 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 ‘‘Helping Overcome 

5 Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats Act of 2019’’ 

6 or the ‘‘HOT CARS Act of 2019’’. 

7 SEC. 2. CHILD SAFETY. 

8 (a) AMENDMENT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 323 of title 49, 

2 United States Code, is amended by adding after sec3 tion 32304A the following: 

4 ‘‘§ 32304B. Child safety 

5 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 ‘‘(1) PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLE.—The term 

7 ‘passenger motor vehicle’ has the meaning given that 

8 term in section 32101. 

9 ‘‘(2) REAR DESIGNATED SEATING POSITION.— 

10 The term ‘rear designated seating position’ means 

11 designated seating positions that are rearward of the 

12 front seat. 

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

14 the Secretary of Transportation. 

15 ‘‘(b) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 2 years after the 

16 date of the enactment of the HOT CARS Act of 2019, 

17 the Secretary shall issue a final rule requiring all new pas18 senger motor vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds 

19 gross vehicle weight to be equipped with a system to alert 

20 the operator to check rear designated seating positions 

21 after the vehicle engine or motor is deactivated by the op22 erator. 

23 ‘‘(c) MEANS.—The alert required under subsection 

24 (b)— 


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1 ‘‘(1) shall include a distinct auditory and visual 

2 alert, which may be combined with a haptic alert; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(2) shall be activated when the vehicle motor 

5 is deactivated by the operator. 

6 ‘‘(d) PHASE-IN.—The rule issued pursuant to sub7 section (b) shall require full compliance with the rule be8 ginning on September 1st of the first calendar year that 

9 begins 2 years after the date on which the final rule is 

10 issued.’’. 

11 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

12 chapter 323 of title 49, United States Code, is 

13 amended by striking the item relating to section 

14 32304A and inserting the following: 

‘‘32304A. Consumer tire information and standards. 

‘‘32304B. Child safety.’’. 

15 (b) AWARENESS OF CHILDREN IN MOTOR VEHI16 CLES.—Section 402 of title 23, United States Code, is 

17 amended by inserting after subsection (k) the following: 

18 ‘‘(l) UNATTENDED PASSENGERS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall use a por20 tion of the amounts it receives under this section to 

21 carry out a program to educate the public on the 

22 risks of leaving a child or unattended passenger in 

23 a vehicle after the vehicle motor is deactivated by 

24 the operator. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM PLACEMENT.—A State does not 

2 need to carry out the program described in para3 graph (1) through the State transportation or high4 way safety office.’’. 

5 (c) STUDY AND REPORT.— 

6 (1) INDEPENDENT STUDY.— 

7 (A) AGREEMENT.— 

8 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of 

9 Transportation shall enter into an agree10 ment or a contract with an independent 

11 third-party that does not have any finan12 cial or contractual ties with passenger 

13 motor vehicle manufacturers or technology 

14 companies producing child reminder alert 

15 systems to perform the services under this 

16 paragraph. 

17 (ii) TIMING.—The Secretary shall 

18 enter into the agreement or contract de19 scribed in clause (i) not later than the date 

20 that the Secretary determines is the latest 

21 date by which completion of the services 

22 under this paragraph will allow the Sec23 retary enough time to prepare and submit 

24 the study required under paragraph (2) in 

25 accordance with such paragraph. 


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1 (B) INDEPENDENT STUDY.— 

2 (i) IN GENERAL.—Under an agree3 ment between the Secretary and an inde4 pendent third-party under this paragraph, 

5 the independent third-party shall carry out 

6 a study on retrofitting existing passenger 

7 motor vehicles with technology to address 

8 the problem of children left in rear des9 ignated seating positions of motor vehicles 

10 after the motor vehicles have been deacti11 vated by the operator of the vehicle. 

12 (ii) ELEMENTS.—In carrying out the 

13 study required under clause (i), the inde14 pendent third-party shall— 

15 (I) survey and evaluate a variety 

16 of methods used by current and 

17 emerging aftermarket technology or 

18 products to solve the problem of chil19 dren being left in a rear designated 

20 seating position after the vehicle 

21 motor is deactivated by the operator; 

22 (II) make recommendations for 

23 manufacturers of such technology or 

24 products to undergo a functional safe25 ty performance to ensure that the 


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1 products perform as designed by the 

2 manufacturer under a variety of real 

3 world conditions; and 

4 (III) provide recommendations 

5 for consumers on how to select such 

6 technology or products in order to ret7 rofit existing vehicles. 

8 (2) REPORT.—During the 180-day period be9 ginning on the date on which the Secretary of 

10 Transportation issues the final rule required under 

11 section 32304B(b) of title 49, United States Code, 

12 as added by subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall 

13 submit the results of the study carried out under 

14 paragraph (1) to the Committee on Commerce, 

15 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

16 Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 

17 of Representatives. 

Æ 


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