[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2691 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  2d Session

                               H. R. 2691

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

   To reauthorize and improve the operations of the National Highway 
                     Traffic Safety Administration.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 2691

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To reauthorize and improve the operations of the National Highway 
                     Traffic Safety Administration.

    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 ``National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration Reauthorization Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Motor Vehicle Safety Activities.--Section 30104 of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 30104. Authorization of appropriations
    ``There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
$81,200,000 for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to 
carry out this part in each fiscal year beginning in fiscal year 1999 
and ending in fiscal year 2001.''.
    (b) Motor Vehicle Information Activities.--Section 32102 of title 
49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 32102. Authorization of appropriations
    ``There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
$6,200,000 for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to 
carry out this part in each fiscal year beginning in fiscal year 1999 
and ending in fiscal year 2001.''.

SEC. 3. RESTRICTIONS ON LOBBYING ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Amendment.--Subchapter I of chapter 301 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 30105. Restriction on lobbying activities
    ``No funds appropriated to the Secretary pursuant to section 30104 
or 32102 may be available for any activity specifically designed to 
urge a State or local legislator to favor or oppose the adoption of any 
specific legislative proposal pending before any State or local 
legislature.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in subchapter I of 
chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following:

``30105.  Restriction on lobbying activities.''.

SEC. 4. RISK AND BENEFIT DISCLOSURE.

    (a) In General.--Within one year of the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall communicate to the 
public information regarding the reasonable risks and benefits of any 
major device or element of design to be installed on or in a motor 
vehicle or motor vehicle equipment in compliance with a motor vehicle 
safety standard issued under section 30111 of title 49, United States 
Code, determined by the Secretary to be important to the protection of 
motor vehicle occupants.
    (b) Notice and Comment.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
Secretary of Transportation shall provide notice that the Secretary is 
considering the means for carrying out subsection (a) and shall provide 
opportunity for comment on--
            (1) the extent to which the information to be communicated 
        under subsection (a) can be communicated in a manner which is 
        scientifically objective and which relies upon scientific 
        findings; and
            (2) the extent to which such information can be made 
        available to consumers in a clear and easily understandable 
        format through the Internet, public libraries, and such other 
        means as the Secretary may deem appropriate.
    (c) No Requirement.--Unless the Secretary of Transportation 
determines that it is essential to ensuring motor vehicle safety, the 
Secretary may not require a manufacturer or distributor to distribute 
any statement of reasonable risks and benefits which the Secretary is 
to communicate under subsection (a).

SEC. 5. OCCUPANT PROTECTION PREFERENCES.

    Section 30111 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after subsection (e) the following:
    ``(f) Special Considerations Relating to Occupant Protection.--When 
prescribing or revising a motor vehicle safety standard under this 
section or section 30127 relating to the protection of motor vehicle 
occupants under this chapter, the Secretary shall, to the extent 
relevant and practicable, design such standard to protect improperly 
restrained and positioned occupants only to the extent that such a 
design would not substantially increase the risk of injury to properly 
restrained and positioned occupants.''.

SEC. 6. ODOMETERS.

    (a) Transfers of New Motor Vehicles.--Section 32705(a) of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(4)(A) This subsection shall apply to all transfers of motor 
vehicles (unless otherwise exempted by the Secretary by regulation), 
except in the case of transfers of new motor vehicles from a vehicle 
manufacturer jointly to a dealer and a person engaged in the business 
of renting or leasing vehicles for a period of 30 days or less.
    ``(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term `new motor 
vehicle' means any motor vehicle driven with no more than the limited 
use necessary in moving, transporting, or road testing such vehicle 
prior to delivery from the vehicle manufacturer to a dealer, but in no 
event shall the odometer reading of such vehicle exceed 300 miles.''.
    (b) Exempted Vehicles.--Section 32705(a) of title 49, United States 
Code, as amended by subsection (a), is amended by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph:
    ``(5) The Secretary may exempt such classes or categories of 
vehicles as the Secretary deems appropriate from these requirements. 
Until such time as the Secretary amends or modifies the regulations set 
forth in 49 CFR 580.6, such regulations shall have full force and 
effect.''.

SEC. 7. INTERNATIONAL HARMONIZATION.

    (a) Amendment.--Subchapter III of chapter 301 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 30148. International motor vehicle safety outreach
    ``(a) Activities.--The Secretary is authorized, in consultation 
with the Secretaries of State and Commerce where appropriate, to engage 
in activities that improve worldwide motor vehicle safety through 
appropriate activities. Such activities may include--
            ``(1) promoting the adoption of international and national 
        vehicle standards that are harmonized with, functionally 
        equivalent to, or compatible with United States vehicle 
        standards;
            ``(2) participating in efforts to foster an international 
        acceptance of globally harmonized or functionally equivalent or 
        compatible motor vehicle regulations and standards to otherwise 
        improve international highway and motor vehicle safety;
            ``(3) promoting international cooperative programs for 
        conducting research, development, demonstration projects, 
        training, and other forms of technology transfer and exchange, 
        including safety conferences, seminars, and expositions to 
        enhance international motor vehicle safety; and
            ``(4) providing technical assistance to other countries 
        relating to their adoption of United States vehicle regulations 
        or standards functionally equivalent to United States vehicle 
        standards.
    ``(b) Cooperation.--The Secretary may carry out the authority 
granted by this section, in cooperation with appropriate United States 
Government agencies, any State or local agency, and any authority, 
association, institution, corporation (profit or nonprofit), foreign 
government, multinational institution, or any other organization or 
person.
    ``(c) Consideration.--When engaging in activities to improve 
worldwide motor vehicle safety, the Secretary shall ensure that these 
activities maintain or improve the level of safety of motor vehicles 
and motor vehicle equipment sold in the United States.
    ``(d) Public Meetings and Information.--To ensure public awareness 
of, and opportunity to comment on, decision-making meetings concerning 
the adoption of a globally harmonized motor vehicle regulation or 
standard, described in subsection (a)(2), by an international body or 
representatives of any foreign nation the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) not less than quarterly, provide notice of, and hold 
        a public meeting to receive comments on the subject matter of, 
        any decision-making meetings scheduled to be held with an 
        international body or representatives of any foreign nation 
        before the next public meeting required to be held under this 
        paragraph; and
            ``(2) make available to the public any relevant information 
        and records, including any proposed text, concerning the matter 
        of any decision-making meetings scheduled with an international 
        body or representatives of any foreign nation as those 
        materials become available.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in subchapter III of 
chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following:

``30148.  International motor vehicle safety outreach.''.

SEC. 8. MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Notification of Defects and Noncompliance.--Sections 30118(d) 
and 30120(h) of title 49, United States Code, are each amended by 
striking the second sentence.
    (b) Remedies for Defects and Noncompliance.--Section 30120(i)(1) of 
title 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting ``(including 
retailers of motor vehicle equipment)'' after ``dealer'' the first time 
it appears.
    (c) Tires.--Section 30123 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by striking subsections (a), (b), and (c) and by redesignating 
subsections (d), (e), and (f), as subsections (a), (b), and (c), 
respectively.
    (d) Automatic Occupant Crash Protection and Seat Belt Use.--Section 
30127(g)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking 
``every 6 months'' and inserting ``annually''.
    (e) Miscellaneous.--
            (1) Definitions.--
                    (A) Country of origin.--Section 32304(a)(3)(B) of 
                title 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
                before the period the following: ``, plus the assembly 
                and labor costs incurred for the final assembly of such 
                engines and transmissions''.
                    (B) Final assembly place.--Section 32304(a)(5) of 
                title 49, United States Code, is amended is amended by 
                adding at the end the following: ``Such term does not 
                include facilities for engine and transmission 
                fabrication and assembly and the facilities for 
                fabrication of motor vehicle equipment component parts 
                which are produced at the same final assembly place 
                using forming processes such as stamping, machining, or 
                molding processes.''.
                    (C) Outside supplier content reporting.--Section 
                32304(a)(9)(A) of title 49, United States Code, is 
                amended to read as follows:
                    ``(A) for an outside supplier--
                            ``(i) the full purchase price of passenger 
                        motor vehicle equipment whose purchase price 
                        contains at least 70 percent value added in the 
                        United States and Canada; or
                            ``(ii) that portion of the purchase price 
                        of passenger motor vehicle equipment containing 
                        less than 70 percent value added in the United 
                        States and Canada that is attributable to the 
                        percent value added in the United States and 
                        Canada when such percent is expressed to the 
                        nearest 5 percent; and''.
            (2) Country of assembly.--Section 32304(d) of title 49, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following; ``A manufacturer may add to the label required under 
        subsection (b) a line stating the country in which vehicle 
        assembly was completed.''.
            (3) Vehicle content percentage by assembly plant.--Section 
        32304 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
        redesignating subsections (c) through (f) as subsections (f) 
        through (i), respectively, and by adding after subsection (b) 
        the following:
    ``(c) Vehicle Content Percentage by Assembly Plant.--A manufacturer 
may display separately on the label required by subsection (b) the 
domestic content of a vehicle based on the assembly plant. Such display 
shall occur after the matter required to be in the label by subsection 
(b)(1)(A).''.
            (4) Suppliers failing to report.--Section 32304 of title 
        49, United States Code, is amended by adding after subsection 
        (c), as added by paragraph (3), the following:
    ``(d) Value Added Determination.--If a manufacturer or allied 
supplier requests information in a timely manner from one or more of 
its outside suppliers concerning the United States/Canadian content of 
particular equipment, but does not receive that information despite a 
good faith effort to obtain it, the manufacturer or allied supplier may 
make its own good faith value added determinations, subject to the 
following:
            ``(1) The manufacturer or allied supplier shall make the 
        same value added determinations as would be made by the outside 
        supplier, that is, whether 70 percent or more of the value of 
        equipment is added in the United States and/or Canada.
            ``(2) The manufacturer or allied supplier shall consider 
        the amount of value added and the location in which the value 
        was added for all of the stages that the outside supplier would 
        be required to consider.
            ``(3) The manufacturer or allied supplier may determine 
        that the value added in the United States and/or Canada is 70 
        percent or more only if it has a good faith basis to make that 
        determination.
            ``(4) A manufacturer and its allied suppliers may, on a 
        combined basis, make value added determinations for no more 
        than 10 percent, by value, of a carline's total parts content 
        from outside suppliers.
            ``(5) Value added determinations made by a manufacturer or 
        allied supplier under this paragraph shall have the same effect 
        as if they were made by the outside supplier.
            ``(6) This provision does not affect the obligation of 
        outside suppliers to provide the requested information.''.
            (5) Accounting for the value of small parts.--Section 32304 
        of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding after 
        subsection (d), as added by paragraph (4), the following:
    ``(e) Small Parts.--The country of origin of nuts, bolts, clips, 
screws, pins, braces, gasoline, oil, blackout, phosphate rinse, 
windshield washer fluid, fasteners, tire assembly fluid, rivets, 
adhesives, and grommets, of any system, subassembly, or component 
installed in a vehicle shall be considered to be the country in which 
such parts were included in the final assembly of such vehicle.''.
    (f) Study.--The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
shall conduct a study of the benefits to motor vehicle drivers of a 
regulation to require the installation in a motor vehicle of an 
interior device to release the trunk lid. Not later than 18 months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administration shall 
submit a report on the results of the study to the Committee on 
Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate.

SEC. 9. IMPORTATION OF MOTOR VEHICLE FOR SHOW OR DISPLAY.

    (a) Importation of Noncomplying Motor Vehicles.--Section 30114 of 
title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``or competitive 
racing events'' and inserting ``competitive racing events, show, or 
display''.
    (b) Transition Rule.--A person who is the owner of a motor vehicle 
located in the United States on the date of enactment of this Act may 
seek an exemption under section 30114 of title 49, United States Code, 
as amended by subsection (a) of this section, for a period of 6 months 
after the date regulations of the Secretary of Transportation 
promulgated in response to such amendment take effect.

            Passed the House of Representatives April 21, 1998.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.