I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3959 
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue rules requiring the inclusion 
of new safety equipment in school buses, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2019 
Mr. COHEN 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 with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue rules 
requiring the inclusion of new safety equipment in 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 ‘‘School Bus Safety Act 
of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) 3-POINT SAFETY BELT.—The term ‘‘3-point 
safety belt’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘Type 
2 seat belt assembly’’ in section 571.209 of title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the 
date of enactment of this Act). 
(2) AUTOMATIC
EMERGENCY
BRAKING
SYS-
TEM.—The term ‘‘automatic emergency braking sys-
tem’’ means a crash avoidance system installed and 
operational in a vehicle that consists of— 
(A) a forward collision warning function— 
(i) to detect vehicles and objects 
ahead of the vehicle; and 
(ii) to alert the operator of the vehicle 
of an impending collision; and 
(B) a crash-imminent braking function to 
provide automatic braking when forward-look-
ing sensors of the vehicle indicate that— 
(i) a crash is imminent; and 
(ii) the operator of the vehicle is not 
reacting in a timely or appropriate man-
ner. 
(3) EVENT DATA RECORDER.—The term ‘‘event 
data recorder’’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 563.5(b) of title 49, Code of Federal Regula-
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tions (as in effect on the date of enactment of this 
Act). 
(4) SCHOOL BUS.—The term ‘‘school bus’’ has 
the meaning given the term ‘‘schoolbus’’ in section 
30125(a) of title 49, United States Code. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
SEC. 3. SCHOOL BUS SAFETY. 
(a) SEAT BELT REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall issue final rules prescribing or amending motor vehi-
cle safety standards under chapter 301 of title 49, United 
States Code, to require school buses with a gross vehicle 
weight rating of greater than 10,000 pounds to be 
equipped with a 3-point safety belt at each designated 
seating position. 
(b) FIRE PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall issue rules prescribing or amending 
motor vehicle safety standards under chapter 
301 of title 49, United States Code, to require 
school buses to be equipped with fire suppres-
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sion systems that, at a minimum, address en-
gine fires. 
(B) APPLICATION.—The standards pre-
scribed or amendments made under subpara-
graph (A) shall apply to school buses manufac-
tured in, or imported into, the United States on 
or after the effective date of the standards or 
amendments. 
(2) FIREWALLS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall issue rules prescribing or amending 
motor vehicle safety standards under chapter 
301 of title 49, United States Code, for school 
buses, especially school buses with engines that 
extend beyond the firewall, to ensure that no 
hazardous quantity of gas or flame can pass 
through the firewall from the engine compart-
ment to the passenger compartment. 
(B) APPLICATION.—The standards pre-
scribed or amendments made under subpara-
graph (A) shall apply to school buses manufac-
tured in, or imported into, the United States on 
or after the effective date of the standards or 
amendments. 
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(3) INTERIOR FLAMMABILITY AND SMOKE EMIS-
SIONS
CHARACTERISTICS.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall amend section 571.302 of title 49, Code 
of Federal Regulations (relating to Federal Motor 
Vehicle Safety Standard Number 302), to adopt, 
with respect to a motor vehicle (as defined in section 
30102(a) of title 49, United States Code), perform-
ance standards for interior flammability and smoke 
emissions characteristics that are not less rigorous 
than the performance standards for interior flamma-
bility and smoke emissions characteristics applicable 
to— 
(A) a compartment occupied by the crew 
or passengers of a transport category airplane 
(within the meaning of part 25 of title 14, Code 
of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date 
of enactment of this Act)) under section 25.853 
of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (as in 
effect on the date of enactment of this Act); 
and 
(B) a passenger car or locomotive cab (as 
those terms are defined in section 238.5 of title 
49, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on 
the date of enactment of this Act)) under sec-
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tion 238.103 of title 49, Code of Federal Regu-
lations (as in effect on the date of enactment of 
this Act). 
(c) OTHER SAFETY EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS.— 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary shall issue final rules— 
(1) prescribing or amending motor vehicle safe-
ty standards under chapter 301 of title 49, United 
States Code, to require school buses to be equipped 
with— 
(A) an automatic emergency braking sys-
tem; 
(B) an event data recorder; and 
(C) an electronic stability control system 
(as defined in section 571.136 of title 49, Code 
of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date 
of enactment of this Act)); and 
(2) amending part 383 of title 49, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations, to require not less than 30 hours 
of behind-the-wheel instruction for operators of 
school buses, which shall be accrued— 
(A) on public roads; and 
(B) with a trained instructor who pos-
sesses a valid commercial driver’s license with a 
school bus endorsement. 
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(d) OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
trator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 
and the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Adminis-
tration shall complete the rulemaking process and publish 
a final rule with respect to the advance notice of proposed 
rulemaking entitled ‘‘Evaluation of Safety Sensitive Per-
sonnel for Moderate-to-Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea’’ 
(81 Fed. Reg. 12642 (March 10, 2016)). 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The standards prescribed or 
amendments made under subsections (a) and (c) shall 
apply with respect to school buses manufactured in, or im-
ported into, the United States on or after the date that 
is 1 year after the date on which the Secretary issues the 
rules required under the applicable subsection. 
SEC. 4. STUDIES. 
(a) MOTION-ACTIVATED DETECTION SYSTEMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra-
tion (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’) shall complete a study with respect to the 
benefits of requiring school buses manufactured in, 
or imported into, the United States to be equipped 
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with a motion-activated detection system that is ca-
pable of— 
(A) detecting pedestrians, bicyclists, and 
other road users located near the exterior of the 
school bus; and 
(B) alerting the operator of the school bus 
of the road users described in subparagraph 
(A). 
(2) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date on which the Administrator completes the 
study under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall 
issue rules requiring school buses manufactured in, 
or imported into, the United States to effectuate 
that requirement. 
(b) SAFETY BELT ALERT.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall complete a study on the benefits of requiring school 
buses manufactured in, or imported into, the United 
States to be equipped with a system to alert the operator 
of the school bus if a passenger in the school bus is not 
wearing a 3-point safety belt equipped on the school bus. 
SEC. 5. SAFETY GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall establish a grant program to provide grants 
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to States to make subgrants to local educational agen-
cies— 
(1) to assist the local educational agencies in 
purchasing school buses equipped with— 
(A) 3-point safety belts at each designated 
seating position; or 
(B) any other school bus safety feature de-
scribed in section 3 or 4; and 
(2) to assist the local educational agencies in 
modifying school buses already owned by the local 
educational agency to be equipped with— 
(A) 3-point safety belts at each designated 
seating position; or 
(B) any other school bus safety feature de-
scribed in section 3 or 4. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out this section. 
Æ 
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