‘‘(B) provide to the applicant, in writing, a 
specific valid reason for withholding approval of 
the application. 
‘‘(2) SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION.—If an ap-
plicant that receives written notice under paragraph 
(1)(B) submits to the Secretary information that 
satisfies the reason of the Secretary for withholding 
approval of the application, the Secretary shall ap-
prove the application not later than 5 days after the 
date of receipt of the information. 
‘‘(e) GUIDANCE FOR NEW ENTRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) ISSUANCE.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that a new entrant that submits an application for 
such operating authority is made aware of the re-
sources available to new entrants for safe and com-
pliant operations, including the criteria for safety 
audits of such new entrant. 
‘‘(2) REGISTRATION FEES.—The Secretary may 
not increase registration fees for new entrant appli-
cations described in paragraph (1) in excess of 
$350.’’. 
SEC. 3. FAST ACT REFORM. 
(a) CARRIER SAFETY FITNESS DETERMINATIONS.— 
(1) NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING.—Be-
fore the date on which the Inspector General of the 
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Department of Transportation makes the certifi-
cation under section 5223(a) of the FAST Act (49 
U.S.C. 31100 note; 129 Stat. 1541), the Secretary 
of Transportation may not issue a notice of proposed 
rulemaking to modify the carrier safety fitness 
standards and methodologies in effect for motor car-
riers of passengers on the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
(2) LIMITATIONS ON USE OF CARRIER SAFETY 
FITNESS DETERMINATIONS.—The following require-
ments shall apply with respect to a carrier safety fit-
ness determination made by the Secretary, using 
procedures in effect on the date of enactment of this 
Act, in connection with a motor carrier engaged in 
providing transportation of passengers: 
(A) The Secretary may not use the carrier 
safety fitness determination to instruct a ces-
sation of operations or revocation. 
(B) The Secretary may determine the 
motor carrier to be ‘‘unfit’’ or ‘‘unsatisfactory’’ 
to operate only upon— 
(i) completion of a compliance review 
or comprehensive safety investigation; and 
(ii) consideration of a corrective ac-
tion plan, if submitted. 
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(C) The Secretary shall continue to assign 
‘‘satisfactory’’ and ‘‘conditional’’ ratings as ap-
propriate. 
(D) Any assigned rating shall include the 
date on which the rating was assigned. 
(b) AVAILABILITY
OF INFORMATION DEVELOPED 
UNDER CSA PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 5223 of the FAST 
Act (49 U.S.C. 31100 note; 129 Stat. 1541) is 
amended— 
(A) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘or the 
commercial motor vehicle driver’’ and inserting 
‘‘, the commercial motor vehicle driver, or the 
motor carrier of passengers (including any pri-
vate school bus operator)’’; and 
(B) in subsection (d)— 
(i) in paragraph (1)— 
(I) in subparagraph (A) by strik-
ing the semicolon at the end and in-
serting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(II) in subparagraph (B)— 
(aa) by striking ‘‘and a com-
mercial motor vehicle driver’’ and 
inserting ‘‘, a commercial motor 
vehicle driver, and a motor car-
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rier of passengers (including any 
private school bus carrier)’’; 
(bb) by striking ‘‘or driver, 
respectively; and’’ and inserting 
‘‘or driver, as appropriate.’’; and 
(cc) by striking subpara-
graph (C); 
(ii) by striking paragraph (2); and 
(iii) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 
paragraph (2). 
(2) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made 
by paragraph (1) shall apply to the availability of in-
formation beginning 1 day after the date of enact-
ment of this Act. 
SEC. 4. RULES EXEMPTIONS AND RESCISSION FOR MOTOR 
CARRIERS OF PASSENGERS. 
(a) OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA.— 
(1) FINDING.—Congress finds that obstructive 
sleep apnea is adequately addressed under the cur-
rent medical standards for commercial motor vehicle 
drivers. 
(2) EXEMPTION.—The Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall exempt commercial motor vehicle drivers 
of motor carriers of passengers and private school 
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bus carriers from any requirements resulting from 
rulemaking pertaining to obstructive sleep apnea. 
(b) SPEED LIMITERS.— 
(1) FINDING.—Congress favors collecting and 
disseminating statistical information to the motor 
carrier industry in lieu of imposing requirements re-
lating to the installation of speed limiting devices. 
(2) EXEMPTION.—The Secretary shall exempt 
motor carriers of passengers and private school bus 
carriers from any requirements resulting from the 
advance notice of proposed rulemaking of the Na-
tional Highway Traffic Safety Administration and 
the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration re-
lating to ‘‘Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations; Parts 
and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Speed 
Limiting Devices’’ (81 Fed. Reg. 61941 (September 
7, 2016)). 
(c) LEVELS OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.—Sec-
tion 31138 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘The Sec-
retary of Transportation shall prescribe regula-
tions to require minimum levels of financial re-
sponsibility 
sufficient 
to 
satisfy 
liability 
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amounts established by the Secretary covering 
public liability and property damage for the 
transportation of passengers for compensation 
by motor vehicle’’ and inserting ‘‘A person shall 
have at least the level of financial responsibility 
described in subsection (b) when operating a 
motor vehicle for the transportation of pas-
sengers for compensation’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘The Sec-
retary may prescribe regulations to require min-
imum levels of financial responsibility sufficient 
to satisfy liability amounts established by the 
Secretary covering public liability and property 
damage for the transportation of passengers for 
commercial purposes, but not for compensation, 
by motor vehicle’’ and inserting ‘‘A person shall 
have at least the level of financial responsibility 
described in subsection (b) when operating a 
motor vehicle for commercial purposes, but not 
for compensation,’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘minimum’’ before ‘‘level 
of financial’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘be at 
least’’ and inserting ‘‘be’’; and 
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(C) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘at 
least’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘in-
surance’’ and inserting ‘‘Insurance’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘a’’ 
and inserting ‘‘A’’; and 
(C) in subparagraph (C) by striking ‘‘a 
surety’’ and inserting ‘‘A surety’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) PROHIBITION OF AUTHORITY.—The Secretary 
may not increase the minimum level of financial responsi-
bility established under subsection (b) by regulation or any 
other authority available to the Secretary.’’. 
(d) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.—A require-
ment under this section to withdraw and rescind a rule-
making proposal shall apply without regard to any provi-
sion of statute or regulation that establishes a requirement 
to issue a rulemaking proposal on the issue. 
SEC. 5. BEYOND COMPLIANCE. 
Section 5222(a) of the FAST Act (49 U.S.C. 31100 
note; 129 Stat. 1540) is amended in the matter preceding 
paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘(other than a motor carrier 
of passengers)’’ after ‘‘motor carrier’’. 
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SEC. 6. CORRECTIVE ACTION PLANS REGARDING MOTOR 
CARRIERS OF PASSENGERS. 
Section 31144 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) CORRECTIVE ACTION PLANS SUBMITTED
BY 
MOTOR CARRIERS OF PASSENGERS.— 
‘‘(1) REVIEW OF PLANS.—Not later than 30 
days after the date of receipt of a corrective action 
plan submitted by a motor carrier of passengers 
that, on the basis of a safety fitness determination, 
has received a rating of unsatisfactory, conditional, 
or unfit, the Secretary shall accept or deny the plan. 
‘‘(2) REVISIONS.— 
‘‘(A) NOTICE
OF
DEFICIENCIES.—If the 
Secretary denies a corrective action plan of a 
motor carrier of passengers, the Secretary 
shall— 
‘‘(i) advise the motor carrier of the 
specific deficiencies of the plan; and 
‘‘(ii) allow up to 14 days for the 
motor carrier to submit a revised plan. 
‘‘(B) REVIEW
OF
REVISED
PLANS.—Not 
later than 30 days after the date of receipt of 
the revised corrective action plan, the Secretary 
shall accept or deny the revised plan. 
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‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS ON SUSPENSIONS AND REV-
OCATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may 
not suspend or revoke the authority of a motor 
carrier of passengers to conduct operations dur-
ing the 14 day period that a motor carrier may 
submit a revised plan under paragraph (2)(A) 
or during the period that such revised plan is 
being reviewed under paragraph (2)(B). 
‘‘(B) 
EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph 
(A) 
shall not apply with respect to a motor carrier 
of passengers if the Secretary determines the 
motor carrier to be an imminent hazard to pub-
lic safety. 
‘‘(4) CONSIDERATION
OF
CORRECTIVE
AC-
TIONS.—If a motor carrier of passengers implements 
a corrective action during a compliance review or 
safety audit, the Secretary shall note the action in 
the compliance review and consider such action be-
fore a safety fitness determination action is con-
cluded.’’. 
SEC. 7. CIVIL PENALTIES. 
(a) ADDITIONAL PENALTY CONSIDERATIONS.—Sec-
tion 521(b)(2)(D) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting ‘‘scope of severity and willfulness, 
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ability to pay, size of fleet,’’ before ‘‘and such other mat-
ters as justice and public safety may require’’. 
(b) PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENT RELATING TO IN-
STALLMENT PLANS.—Section 521(b) of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(16) PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENT RELATING
TO 
INSTALLMENT PLANS.—A motor carrier of passengers, by 
contesting or appealing a notice of a violation issued by 
the Secretary under this subsection, does not waive any 
right relating to installment plans before the Secretary has 
issued an order affirming, modifying, or vacating the no-
tice of violation.’’. 
SEC. 8. MODERNIZATION OF FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER 
SAFETY REGULATIONS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 
The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a nego-
tiated rulemaking advisory committee (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Committee’’) for the purpose of devel-
oping a comprehensive regulatory proposal aimed at re-
ducing, simplifying, streamlining, and modernizing Fed-
eral Motor Carrier Safety Regulations applicable to the 
operations of motor carriers of passengers. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall be com-
posed of— 
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(1) representatives of motor carriers of pas-
sengers; 
(2) representatives of trade associations rep-
resenting the motor carriers of passengers indus-
tries; 
(3) industry safety experts; and 
(4) representatives of insurance companies. 
(c) DUTIES.—The Committee shall— 
(1) establish and utilize a scale for determining 
the effectiveness of each Federal Motor Carrier 
Safety Regulation as the regulation relates to reduc-
ing fatalities and bodily injury; 
(2) identify, in original or modified form, those 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations that pos-
sess the highest propensity for reducing fatalities 
and bodily injuries; 
(3) identify statutory provisions that impede the 
elimination of burdensome, ineffective, and duplica-
tive Federal regulations; 
(4) consider methods for improved record reten-
tion requirements through electronic media; and 
(5) identify conflicting definitions relating to 
motor carriers of passengers in statutes and regula-
tions. 
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