This bill directs the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to write safety rules for school buses. Key required changes include 3-point safety belts at every seating position on school buses over 10,000 pounds; fire suppression systems that at least address engine fires; stronger firewall requirements so fire or gas cannot pass from the engine compartment into the passenger area; and tougher interior flammability and smoke standards based on certain airplane, car, and locomotive rules. The bill also requires automatic emergency braking, event data recorders, and electronic stability control on school buses. It requires rules to add at least 8 hours of behind-the-wheel training for school bus drivers, conducted on public roads with a trained instructor who has a commercial driver’s license with a school bus endorsement. The bill directs two agencies to finish a rulemaking on obstructive sleep apnea evaluation for safety-sensitive personnel that began in 2016. It orders studies on motion-activated detection systems (to detect people near the bus) and on systems that alert drivers when passengers are not buckled. The bill also creates a grant program to help states give money to local school districts to buy or modify buses to add the listed safety features.
The bill authorizes a grant program and says there are "such sums as are necessary" to carry out that program. The bill text does not include specific cost estimates, appropriations amounts, or federal budget numbers. No publicly available information on total costs or cost estimates is included in the bill text.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.