I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3593 
To require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring all 
new passenger motor vehicles to be equipped with a child safety alert 
system, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 28, 2019 
Mr. RYAN (for himself, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, and Mr. KING of New York) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule 
requiring all new passenger motor vehicles to be equipped 
with a child safety alert system, 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 ‘‘Hot Cars Act of 
2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Children and domestic animals left unat-
tended in vehicles, or independently accessing unoc-
cupied vehicles on their own, are a significant public 
health and safety problem. 
(2) Thirty-eight children on average are killed 
by hyperthermia each year as a result of being left 
unattended in a vehicle or as a result of gaining ac-
cess independently into an unoccupied vehicle. 
(3) In 2018, at least 52 children were killed by 
hyperthermia as a result of being left unattended in 
a vehicle or as a result of gaining access independ-
ently into an unoccupied vehicle. 
(4) Between 1990 and 2018, at least 889 chil-
dren have been killed by hyperthermia as a result of 
being left unattended in a vehicle or as a result of 
gaining access independently into an unoccupied ve-
hicle. Of those deaths, where the circumstances were 
known, 27 percent were the result of the child ac-
cessing the vehicle independently. 
(5) Fourteen percent of parents reported leav-
ing a child 6 or younger in a parked, locked car 
alone. According to a 2014 Public Opinion Strate-
gies survey, fourteen percent of parents reported 
leaving a child six or younger in a parked, locked car 
alone. The survey finds that, according to United 
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States Census data, that’s nearly 2,000,000 United 
States parents transporting more than 3,300,000 
United States children. 
(6) In 2018, at least 57 domestic animals were 
killed as a result of being left unattended in a vehi-
cle. 
(7) Technology currently exists to detect the 
presence of a child in the rear seat of a vehicle. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to reduce 
the deaths and injuries that result from occupants being 
left in unattended vehicles as well as instances in which 
children independently access an unoccupied vehicle. 
SEC. 3. OCCUPANT SAFETY. 
(a) AMENDMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Chapter 323 of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by adding after sec-
tion 32304A the following new section: 
‘‘§ 32304B. Occupant safety 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLE.—The term 
‘passenger motor vehicle’ has the meaning given that 
term in section 32101. 
‘‘(2) REAR DESIGNATED SEATING POSITION.— 
The term ‘rear designated seating position’ means 
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all designated seating positions that are rearward of 
the front seat. 
‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
‘‘(b) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of the enactment of the Hot Cars Act of 2019, the 
Secretary shall issue a final rule requiring all new pas-
senger motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 
10,000 pounds or less to be equipped with a system to 
detect the presence of an occupant in a rear designated 
seating position after the vehicle engine or motor is deacti-
vated and engage a warning. In developing the rule re-
quired under this subsection, the Secretary shall consider 
requiring systems that also detect the presence of any oc-
cupant unable to independently exit the vehicle as well as 
detect the presence of a child who has entered an unoccu-
pied vehicle independently. 
‘‘(c) MEANS.—The alert required under subsection 
(b)— 
‘‘(1) shall include a distinct auditory and visual 
alert to notify individuals inside and outside of the 
vehicle of the presence of an occupant, which shall 
be combined with an interior haptic warning; and 
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‘‘(2) shall be activated when the vehicle motor 
is deactivated by the operator and the presence of an 
occupant is detected. 
‘‘(d) PHASE-IN.—The rule issued pursuant to sub-
section (b) shall require full compliance with the rule not 
later than 2 years after the date on which the final rule 
is issued.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 
Chapter 323 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by striking the item relating to section 
32304A and inserting the following: 
‘‘32304A. Consumer tire information and standards. 
‘‘32304B. Occupant safety.’’. 
(b) AWARENESS OF OCCUPANTS IN MOTOR VEHI-
CLES.—Section 402 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after subsection (k) the following: 
‘‘(l) UNATTENDED PASSENGERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall use a por-
tion of the amount it receives under this section to 
carry out a program to educate the public on the 
risks of leaving an occupant in a vehicle. 
‘‘(2) PROGRAM PLACEMENT.—A State does not 
need to carry out the program described in para-
graph (1) through the State transportation or high-
way safety office.’’. 
(c) STUDY AND REPORT.— 
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(1) INDEPENDENT STUDY.— 
(A) AGREEMENT.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of 
Transportation shall enter into an agree-
ment or a contract with an independent 
third party that does not have any finan-
cial or contractual ties with passenger 
motor vehicle manufacturers or technology 
companies producing occupant reminder 
warning systems or child restraint systems 
to perform the services under this para-
graph. 
(ii) TIMING.—The Secretary shall 
enter into the agreement or contract de-
scribed in clause (i) not later than the date 
that the Secretary determines is the latest 
date by which completion of the services 
under this paragraph will allow the Sec-
retary enough time to prepare and submit 
the study required under paragraph (2) in 
accordance with such paragraph. 
(B) INDEPENDENT STUDY.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—Under an agree-
ment between the Secretary and an inde-
pendent third party under this paragraph, 
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the independent third party shall carry out 
a study on retrofitting existing passenger 
motor vehicles with technology to address 
the problem of occupants left unattended 
in motor vehicles. 
(ii) ELEMENTS.—In carrying out the 
study required under clause (i), the inde-
pendent third party shall— 
(I) survey and evaluate a variety 
of methods used by current and 
emerging aftermarket technology or 
products to solve the problem of occu-
pants being left unattended in the ve-
hicle or occupants gaining access to 
the vehicle independently; 
(II) make recommendations for 
manufacturers of such technology or 
products to undergo a functional safe-
ty performance to ensure that the 
products perform as designed by the 
manufacturer under a variety of real 
world conditions; and 
(III) provide recommendations 
for consumers on how to select such 
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technology or products in order to ret-
rofit existing vehicles. 
(2) REPORT.—During the 180-day period be-
ginning on the date on which the Secretary of 
Transportation issues the final rule required under 
section 32304B(b) of title 49, United States Code, 
as added by subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall 
submit the results of the study carried out under 
paragraph (1) to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 
of Representatives. 
Æ 
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