Stop for School Buses Act of 2019

To require the Secretary of Transportation to conduct research on and implement certain safety measures and programs to prevent illegal passing of school buses, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Stop for School Buses Act of 2019 2. Establishment of safety programs (a) Review of illegal passing laws (1) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— (A) prepare a compilation of illegal passing laws in all States, including levels of enforcement and penalties and enforcement issues with such laws and the impact of such laws on illegal passing of school buses in each State; (B) review existing State laws that may inhibit effective school bus loading zone countermeasures, which may include laws requiring camera visibility of a driver’s face for enforcement action, laws that may reduce stop arm camera effectiveness, the need for an officer to witness the event for enforcement, and the lack of primary enforcement for texting and driving; (C) evaluate methods used by States to review, document, and report to law enforcement school bus stop arm violations; and (D) following the completion of the compilation, issue recommendations on best practices on the most-effective approaches to address illegal passing of school buses. (2) Publication The compilation and recommendations shall be made publicly available on the website of the Department. (b) Public safety messaging campaign (1) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall create and execute a public safety messaging campaign including public safety media messages, posters, digital, and other media messages for distribution to States, divisions of motor vehicles, schools, and other public outlets to highlight the importance of the illegal passing school buses, and should include educating students and the public on safe loading and unloading of schools buses. (2) Consultation The Secretary shall consult with public and private school bus industry representatives and States in developing the appropriate messages. (3) Update The Secretary shall periodically update the materials used in the campaign. (c) Review of technologies (1) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall review and evaluate the effectiveness of various technologies, including cameras, audible warning systems, enhanced lighting, and other technological solutions to enhance school bus safety. (2) Content The review— (A) shall include an evaluation of the costs of new equipment and the potential impact on overall school bus ridership; (B) shall include an evaluation of advanced technologies surrounding loading zone safety; (C) shall include an evaluation of school bus lighting systems, to ensure clear communication to surrounding drivers on their appropriate action; (D) may include other technological solutions that enhance school bus safety; and (E) may include a pilot program to test the technologies in school bus service. (3) Consultation The Secretary shall consult with manufacturers of school bus vehicles, manufacturers of various technologies, and school bus industry representatives in conducting the review. (4) Publication The Secretary shall make the findings of the review publicly available on the website of the Department. (d) Review of driver education materials (1) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— (A) review driver education materials across all States to determine whether and how illegal passing of school buses is addressed in driver education materials, manuals, non-CDL testing, and road tests; and (B) make recommendations on how States can improve education about illegal passing of school buses, particularly with new drivers. (2) Consultation The Secretary shall consult with school bus industry representatives, States, motor vehicle administrators, and other appropriate motor vehicle experts in the preparation of the review. (3) Publication The Secretary shall make the findings of the review publicly available on the website of the Department. (e) Review of other safety issues (1) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall research the connections between illegal passing of school buses and other safety issues, including, but not limited to, distracted driving, morning darkness, illumination and reach of vehicle headlights, speed limits, and school bus stop locations in rural areas and create a report containing the findings. (2) Publication The Secretary shall make the findings of the report publicly available on the website of the Department. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Department The term Department (2) Secretary The term Secretary

Summary: Stop for School Buses Act of 2019 This bill addresses safety measures and programs to prevent the illegal passing of school buses. Specifically, the Department of Transportation must conduct a review of existing state laws and programs regarding the illegal passing of school buses; create a nationwide public safety campaign to highlight the importance of illegally passing school buses; review and evaluate the effectiveness of various technologies to enhance school bus safety; review driver education materials in states to determine how the illegal passing of school buses is addressed; and research the connections between the illegal passing of school buses and other safety issues, including distracted driving.