Title: School Bus Safety Act of 2018
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
School Bus Safety Act of 2018
This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue rules prescribing or amending motor vehicle safety standards to require school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 10,000 pounds to be equipped with a three-point safety belt at each designated seating position. DOT shall also issue rules to require (1) school buses to be equipped with an automatic emergency braking system, an event data recorder, and an electronic stability control system; and (2) at least 30 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction for school bus operators.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration shall publish a final rule entitled "Evaluation of Safety Sensitive Personnel for Moderate-to-Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shall complete a study of the benefits of requiring school buses to be equipped with a motion-activated detection system that can detect pedestrians located near the exterior of the school bus and alert the bus operator of the pedestrians. The NHTSA must also study the benefits of requiring school buses to have a system that alerts the operator if a passenger is not wearing a three-point safety belt.
The bill requires DOT to establish a grant program to assist local educational agencies to purchase school buses equipped with three-point safety belts at each designated seating position and assist them in modifying existing school buses to be equipped with such belts.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6773 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6773

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

                           September 12, 2018

  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 the Workforce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within 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 Representatives 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 2018''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (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 system.--The term 
        ``automatic emergency braking system'' means a crash avoidance 
        system installed and operational in a vehicle that consists 
        of--
                    (A) a forward collision warning function--
                            (i) to detect vehicles or 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-looking sensors of the 
                vehicle indicate that--
                            (i) a crash is imminent; and
                            (ii) the operator of vehicle is not 
                        reacting in a timely or appropriate manner.
            (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 Regulations (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 rules prescribing or 
amending motor vehicle 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) Other Safety Equipment Requirements.--Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue 
rules--
            (1) prescribing or amending motor vehicle safety standards 
        under chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, to require 
        school buses to be equipped with--
                    (A) an automatic emergency braking system;
                    (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 Federal 
        Regulations, to require not less than 30 hours of behind-the-
        wheel instruction for operators of school buses, which shall be 
        accrued on public roads.
    (c) Obstructive Sleep Apnea.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Motor 
Carrier Safety Administration and the Administrator of the Federal 
Railroad Administration shall complete the rulemaking process and 
publish a final rule with respect to the advance notice of proposed 
rulemaking entitled ``Evaluation of Safety Sensitive Personnel for 
Moderate-to-Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea'' (81 Fed. Reg. 12642 (March 
10, 2016)).
    (d) Effective Date.--The standards prescribed or amendments made 
pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) shall apply with respect to school 
buses manufactured in, or imported 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 Administration (referred to in this 
        section as the ``Administrator'') shall complete a study with 
        respect to the benefits of requiring school buses manufactured 
        in, or imported into, the United States to be equipped with a 
        motion-activated detection system that is capable of--
                    (A) detecting pedestrians located near the exterior 
                of the school bus; and
                    (B) alerting the operator of the school bus of the 
                pedestrians 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.
    (c) Retrofitting.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall complete a study with 
respect to the benefits of requiring all school buses operating in the 
United States to be equipped with a 3-point safety belt at each 
designated seating position.

SEC. 5. SAFETY BELT GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall establish a grant 
program to provide grants to States to make subgrants to local 
educational agencies--
            (1) to assist the local educational agencies in purchasing 
        school buses equipped with 3-point safety belts at each 
        designated seating position; and
            (2) to assist the local educational agencies in modifying 
        school buses already owned by the local educational agency to 
        be equipped with 3-point safety belts at each designated 
        seating position.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.
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