I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2218 
To require the Secretary of Transportation to conduct research on and imple-
ment certain safety measures and programs to prevent illegal passing 
of school buses, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 10, 2019 
Mrs. WALORSKI (for herself and Ms. BROWNLEY of California) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Education and 
Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Transportation to conduct re-
search on and implement certain safety measures and 
programs to prevent illegal passing 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 ‘‘Stop for School Buses 
Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 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 enforce-
ment 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 in-
hibit effective school bus loading zone counter-
measures, which may include laws requiring 
camera visibility of a driver’s face for enforce-
ment 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 re-
view, document, and report to law enforcement 
school bus stop arm violations; and 
(D) following the completion of the com-
pilation, issue recommendations on best prac-
tices on the most-effective approaches to ad-
dress illegal passing of school buses. 
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(2) PUBLICATION.—The compilation and rec-
ommendations 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 dis-
tribution to States, divisions of motor vehicles, 
schools, and other public outlets to highlight the im-
portance 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 con-
sult with public and private school bus industry rep-
resentatives 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 
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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 commu-
nication to surrounding drivers on their appro-
priate action; 
(D) may include other technological solu-
tions 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 con-
sult with manufacturers of school bus vehicles, man-
ufacturers of various technologies, and school bus in-
dustry 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.— 
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(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 con-
sult with school bus industry representatives, States, 
motor vehicle administrators, and other appropriate 
motor vehicle experts in the preparation of the re-
view. 
(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 pass-
ing of school buses and other safety issues, includ-
ing, but not limited to, distracted driving, morning 
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darkness, illumination and reach of vehicle head-
lights, speed limits, and school bus stop locations in 
rural areas and create a report containing the find-
ings. 
(2) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make 
the findings of the report publicly available on the 
website of the Department. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 
means the Department of Transportation. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
Æ 
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