[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5504 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.5504

                      One Hundred Seventh Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
          the twenty-third day of January, two thousand and two


                                 An Act


 
  To provide for the improvement of the safety of child restraints in 
            passenger motor vehicles, 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 ``Anton's Law''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
        (1) It is the policy of the Department of Transportation that 
    all child occupants of motor vehicles, regardless of seating 
    position, be appropriately restrained in order to reduce the 
    incidence of injuries and fatalities resulting from motor vehicle 
    crashes on the streets, roads, and highways.
        (2) Research has shown that very few children between the ages 
    of 4 to 8 years old are in the appropriate restraint for their age 
    when riding in passenger motor vehicles.
        (3) Children who have outgrown their child safety seats should 
    ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until an adult seat belt 
    fits properly.
        (4) Children who were properly restrained when riding in 
    passenger motor vehicles suffered less severe injuries from 
    accidents than children not properly restrained.

SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT OF SAFETY OF CHILD RESTRAINTS IN PASSENGER MOTOR 
              VEHICLES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation (hereafter 
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall initiate a rulemaking 
proceeding to establish performance requirements for child restraints, 
including booster seats, for the restraint of children weighing more 
than 50 pounds.
    (b) Elements for Consideration.--In the rulemaking proceeding 
required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
        (1) consider whether to include injury performance criteria for 
    child restraints, including booster seats and other products for 
    use in passenger motor vehicles for the restraint of children 
    weighing more than 50 pounds, under the requirements established in 
    the rulemaking proceeding;
        (2) consider whether to establish performance requirements for 
    seat belt fit when used with booster seats and other belt guidance 
    devices;
        (3) consider whether to address situations where children 
    weighing more than 50 pounds only have access to seating positions 
    with lap belts, such as allowing tethered child restraints for such 
    children; and
        (4) review the definition of the term ``booster seat'' in 
    Federal motor vehicle safety standard No. 213 under section 571.213 
    of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, to determine if it is 
    sufficiently comprehensive.
    (c) Completion.--The Secretary shall complete the rulemaking 
proceeding required by subsection (a) not later than 30 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF ANTHROPOMORPHIC TEST DEVICE SIMULATING A 10-YEAR 
              OLD CHILD.

    (a) Development and Evaluation.--Not later than 24 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop and 
evaluate an anthropomorphic test device that simulates a 10-year old 
child for use in testing child restraints used in passenger motor 
vehicles.
    (b) Adoption by Rulemaking.--Within 1 year following the 
development and evaluation carried out under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding for the adoption of an 
anthropomorphic test device as developed under subsection (a).

SEC. 5. REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTALLATION OF LAP AND SHOULDER BELTS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 24 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall complete a rulemaking 
proceeding to amend Federal motor vehicle safety standard No. 208 under 
section 571.208 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, relating to 
occupant crash protection, in order to--
        (1) require a lap and shoulder belt assembly for each rear 
    designated seating position in a passenger motor vehicle with a 
    gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, except that 
    if the Secretary determines that installation of a lap and shoulder 
    belt assembly is not practicable for a particular designated 
    seating position in a particular type of passenger motor vehicle, 
    the Secretary may exclude the designated seating position from the 
    requirement; and
        (2) apply that requirement to passenger motor vehicles in 
    phases in accordance with subsection (b).
    (b) Implementation Schedule.--The requirement prescribed under 
subsection (a)(1) shall be implemented in phases on a production year 
basis beginning with the production year that begins not later than 12 
months after the end of the year in which the regulations are 
prescribed under subsection (a). The final rule shall apply to all 
passenger motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 
pounds or less that are manufactured in the third production year of 
the implementation phase-in under the schedule.

SEC. 6. EVALUATION OF INTEGRATED CHILD SAFETY SYSTEMS.

    (a) Evaluation.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall initiate an evaluation of 
integrated or built-in child restraints and booster seats. The 
evaluation should include--
        (1) the safety of the child restraint and correctness of fit 
    for the child;
        (2) the availability of testing data on the system and vehicle 
    in which the child restraint will be used;
        (3) the compatibility of the child restraint with different 
    makes and models;
        (4) the cost-effectiveness of mass production of the child 
    restraint for consumers;
        (5) the ease of use and relative availability of the child 
    restraint to children riding in motor vehicles; and
        (6) the benefits of built-in seats for improving compliance 
    with State child occupant restraint laws.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report of this 
evaluation.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

     As used in this Act, the following definitions apply:
        (1) Child restraint.--The term ``child restraint'' means any 
    product designed to provide restraint to a child (including booster 
    seats and other products used with a lap and shoulder belt 
    assembly) that meets applicable Federal motor vehicle safety 
    standards prescribed by the National Highway Traffic Safety 
    Administration.
        (2) Production year.--The term ``production year'' means the 
    12-month period between September 1 of a year and August 31 of the 
    following year.
        (3) Passenger motor vehicle.--The term ``passenger motor 
    vehicle'' has the meaning given that term in section 405(f)(5) of 
    title 23, United States Code.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 
to the Secretary of Transportation for--
        (1) the evaluation required by section 6 of this Act; and
        (2) research of the nature and causes of injury to children 
    involved in motor vehicle crashes.
    (b) Limitation.--Funds appropriated under subsection (a) shall not 
be available for the general administrative expenses of the Secretary.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.