I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2160 
To improve the safety of school buses, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2017 
Mr. CRIST introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees 
on Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To improve the safety of school buses, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Best to Use Safety 
Belts Act of 2017’’ or the ‘‘BUS Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. SEAT BELT REQUIREMENT FOR SCHOOL BUSES. 
(a) REQUIREMENT.—Section 30125 of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘(d) SEAT BELTS REQUIRED.—A person may not 
manufacture for sale, sell, offer for sale, introduce or de-
liver for introduction in interstate commerce, or import 
into the United States a schoolbus that is not equipped 
with a seat belt that includes both lap and shoulder belts 
for each intended passenger. A violation of this subsection 
shall be treated as a violation of a motor vehicle safety 
standard prescribed under section 30111 of this sub-
chapter.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 3. SCHOOL BUS SAFETY UPGRADES GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Trans-
portation shall establish a program to provide school buses 
with seat belts and other safety features. 
(b) GRANT
AUTHORITY
AND
ELIGIBLE
RECIPI-
ENTS.—In carrying out the program established under 
subsection (a), the Secretary may make a grant, on a com-
petitive basis, to a State educational agency and a local 
educational agency (as such terms are defined in section 
8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)). 
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(c) GRANT USES.—A recipient of a grant made under 
subsection (b) may use grant funds only to— 
(1) retrofit a school bus with seat belts; or 
(2) make another safety upgrade to a school 
bus that demonstrably decreases the risk of injury or 
death to students in the event of an impact or roll-
over, including an upgrade designed to prevent a 
rollover. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out the program 
established under subsection (a) $3,000,000,000. 
(e) TERMINATION.—The program established under 
subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is 2 years 
after the date on which the program is established. 
Æ 
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