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the skills and competencies that are critical to achiev-
ing its mission goals. 
Subtitle G—Motorcoach Enhanced 
Safety Act of 2012 
SEC. 32701. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Motorcoach En-
hanced Safety Act of 2012’’. 
SEC. 32702. DEFINITIONS. 
In this subtitle: 
(1) ADVANCED GLAZING.—The term ‘‘advanced 
glazing’’ means glazing installed in a portal on the 
side or the roof of a motorcoach that is designed to 
be highly resistant to partial or complete occupant 
ejection in all types of motor vehicle crashes. 
(2) BUS.—The term ‘‘bus’’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 571.3(b) of title 49, Code of 
Federal Regulations (as in effect on the day before the 
date of enactment of this Act). 
(3) COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE.—Except as 
otherwise specified, the term ‘‘commercial motor vehi-
cle’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
31132(1) of title 49, United States Code. 
(4) DIRECT TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYS-
TEM.—The term ‘‘direct tire pressure monitoring sys-
tem’’ means a tire pressure monitoring system that is
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capable of directly detecting when the air pressure 
level in any tire is significantly under-inflated and 
providing the driver a low tire pressure warning as 
to which specific tire is significantly under-inflated. 
(5) ELECTRONIC
ON-BOARD
RECORDER.—The 
term ‘‘electronic on-board recorder’’ means an elec-
tronic device that acquires and stores data showing 
the record of duty status of the vehicle operator and 
performs the functions required of an automatic on- 
board recording device in section 395.15(b) of title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations. 
(6) EVENT DATA RECORDER.—The term ‘‘event 
data recorder’’ has the meaning given that term in 
section 563.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(7) MOTOR CARRIER.—The term ‘‘motor carrier’’ 
means— 
(A) a motor carrier (as defined in section 
13102(14) of title 49, United States Code); or 
(B) a motor private carrier (as defined in 
section 13102(15) of that title). 
(8) MOTORCOACH.—The term ‘‘motorcoach’’ has 
the meaning given the term ‘‘over-the-road bus’’ in 
section 3038(a)(3) of the Transportation Equity Act 
for the 21st Century (49 U.S.C. 5310 note), but does 
not include—
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(A) a bus used in public transportation 
provided by, or on behalf of, a public transpor-
tation agency; or 
(B) a school bus, including a multifunction 
school activity bus. 
(9) MOTORCOACH SERVICES.—The term ‘‘motor-
coach services’’ means passenger transportation by 
motorcoach for compensation. 
(10) MULTIFUNCTION SCHOOL ACTIVITY BUS.— 
The term ‘‘multifunction school activity bus’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 571.3(b) of title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the day 
before the date of enactment of this Act). 
(11) PORTAL.—The term ‘‘portal’’ means any 
opening on the front, side, rear, or roof of a motor-
coach that could, in the event of a crash involving the 
motorcoach, permit the partial or complete ejection of 
any occupant from the motorcoach, including a young 
child. 
(12) PROVIDER
OF
MOTORCOACH
SERVICES.— 
The term ‘‘provider of motorcoach services’’ means a 
motor carrier that provides passenger transportation 
services with a motorcoach, including per-trip com-
pensation and contracted or chartered compensation.
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(13) PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.—The term ‘‘pub-
lic transportation’’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 5302 of title 49, United States Code. 
(14) SAFETY BELT.—The term ‘‘safety belt’’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 153(i)(4)(B) of 
title 23, United States Code. 
(15) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
SEC. 32703. REGULATIONS FOR IMPROVED OCCUPANT PRO-
TECTION, 
PASSENGER 
EVACUATION, 
AND 
CRASH AVOIDANCE. 
(a) REGULATIONS REQUIRED WITHIN 1 YEAR.—Not 
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall prescribe regulations requiring safety 
belts to be installed in motorcoaches at each designated seat-
ing position. 
(b) REGULATIONS REQUIRED WITHIN 2 YEARS.—Not 
later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall prescribe the following commercial 
motor vehicle regulations: 
(1) ROOF STRENGTH AND CRUSH RESISTANCE.— 
The Secretary shall establish improved roof and roof 
support standards for motorcoaches that substantially 
improve the resistance of motorcoach roofs to deforma-
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tion and intrusion to prevent serious occupant injury 
in rollover crashes involving motorcoaches. 
(2) 
ANTI-EJECTION
SAFETY
COUNTER-
MEASURES.—The Secretary shall require advanced 
glazing to be installed in each motorcoach portal and 
shall consider other portal improvements to prevent 
partial and complete ejection of motorcoach pas-
sengers, including children. In prescribing such 
standards, the Secretary shall consider the impact of 
such standards on the use of motorcoach portals as a 
means of emergency egress. 
(3) ROLLOVER
CRASH
AVOIDANCE.—The Sec-
retary shall require motorcoaches to be equipped with 
stability enhancing technology, such as electronic sta-
bility control and torque vectoring, to reduce the 
number and frequency of rollover crashes among 
motorcoaches. 
(c) COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE TIRE PRESSURE 
MONITORING SYSTEMS.—Not later than 3 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prescribe 
the following commercial vehicle regulation: 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall require 
motorcoaches to be equipped with direct tire pressure 
monitoring systems that warn the operator of a com-
mercial motor vehicle when any tire exhibits a level
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of air pressure that is below a specified level of air 
pressure established by the Secretary. 
(2) PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS.—The regula-
tion prescribed by the Secretary under this subsection 
shall include performance requirements to ensure that 
direct tire pressure monitoring systems are capable 
of— 
(A) providing a warning to the driver when 
1 or more tires are underinflated; 
(B) activating in a specified time period 
after the underinflation is detected; and 
(C) operating at different vehicle speeds. 
(d) APPLICATION OF REGULATIONS.— 
(1) NEW MOTORCOACHES.—Any regulation pre-
scribed in accordance with subsection (a), (b), or (c) 
shall apply to all motorcoaches manufactured more 
than 2 years after the date on which the regulation 
is published as a final rule. 
(2) RETROFIT
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
EXISTING 
MOTORCOACHES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, by 
regulation, provide for the application of any re-
quirement established under subsection (a) or 
(b)(2) to motorcoaches manufactured before the 
date on which the requirement applies to new
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motorcoaches under paragraph (1) based on an 
assessment of the feasibility, benefits, and costs of 
retrofitting the older motorcoaches. 
(B) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary shall 
complete an assessment with respect to safety belt 
retrofits not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act and with respect to anti- 
ejection countermeasure retrofits not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(e) FAILURE TO MEET DEADLINE.—If the Secretary 
determines that a final rule cannot be issued before the 
deadline established under this section, the Secretary 
shall— 
(1) submit a report to the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 
of Representatives that explains why the deadline 
cannot be met; and 
(2) establish a new deadline for the issuance of 
the final rule. 
SEC. 32704. STANDARDS FOR IMPROVED FIRE SAFETY. 
(a) EVALUATIONS.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall initiate 
the following rulemaking proceedings:
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(1) FLAMMABILITY
STANDARD
FOR
EXTERIOR 
COMPONENTS.—The Secretary shall establish require-
ments for fire hardening or fire resistance of motor-
coach exterior components to prevent fire and smoke 
inhalation injuries to occupants. 
(2) SMOKE SUPPRESSION.—The Secretary shall 
update Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Num-
ber 302 (49 C.F.R. 571.302; relating to flammability 
of interior materials) to improve the resistance of mo-
torcoach interiors and components to burning and 
permit sufficient time for the safe evacuation of pas-
sengers from motorcoaches. 
(3) PREVENTION
OF, 
AND
RESISTANCE
TO, 
WHEEL WELL FIRES.—The Secretary shall establish 
requirements— 
(A) to prevent and mitigate the propagation 
of wheel well fires into the passenger compart-
ment; and 
(B) to substantially reduce occupant deaths 
and injuries from such fires. 
(4) AUTOMATIC FIRE SUPPRESSION.—The Sec-
retary shall establish requirements for motorcoaches to 
be equipped with highly effective fire suppression sys-
tems that automatically respond to and suppress all 
fires in such motorcoaches.