[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3683 Introduced in House (IH)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 3683

   To direct the Secretary of Transportation to evaluate devices and 
    technology for reducing the incidence of child injury and death 
 occurring inside or outside of motor vehicles, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 8, 2003

 Mr. King of New York (for himself and Ms. Schakowsky) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Transportation to evaluate devices and 
    technology for reducing the incidence of child injury and death 
 occurring inside or outside of 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 the ``Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars 
Safety Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. EVALUATION OF DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE CHILD INJURY AND 
              DEATH FROM PARKED OR UNATTENDED MOTOR VEHICLES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation shall evaluate--
            (1) devices and technologies intended to reduce the 
        incidence of child injury and child death occurring outside of 
        parked motor vehicles in nontraffic, noncrash events, including 
        backing-over incidents, that are caused by such vehicles, and 
        determining which of those methods is the most effective; and
            (2) currently available technology to prevent injury and 
        death of children left unattended inside of parked motor 
        vehicles, including injury or death due to hyperthermia, power 
        windows, or power sunroofs.
    (b) Report.--The Secretary of Transportation shall submit a report 
on the findings and determinations of the evaluation under this section 
to the Congress by not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
    (c) Completion of Rulemaking Regarding Power Windows.--The 
Secretary of Transportation shall by not later than 6 months after the 
submission of the report under subsection (b) complete any rulemaking 
begun before the date of the enactment of this Act regarding power 
windows and power window switches.

SEC. 3. DATABASE FOR TRACKING THE NUMBER AND TYPES OF INJURIES AND 
              DEATHS IN NONTRAFFIC, NONCRASH EVENTS.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish 
a database of (or modify an existing database to include), and collect 
data regarding, the numbers and types of injuries and deaths in 
nontraffic, noncrash events involving motor vehicles.
    (b) Included Information.--The Secretary of Transportation shall 
collect and include in such database the following information:
            (1) The types, makes, models, and model years of motor 
        vehicles involved in nontraffic, noncrash events.
            (2) Whether there was an operator of each motor vehicle in 
        such events.
            (3) The age of each operator of such motor vehicles.
            (4) The age of each individual who suffered injury or death 
        in such events.
            (5) Whether each motor vehicle had technology installed to 
        detect individuals and objects behind it.
            (6) The degree of injury to each individual who suffered 
        injury or death in such events.
            (7) The location of which the injury or death occurred.
            (8) Any other information prescribed by the Secretary of 
        Transportation.
    (c) Availability.--The Secretary of Transportation shall make 
information in the database under this section available to the public, 
through--
            (1) an Internet page of the Department of Transportation; 
        and
            (2) annual reports.

SEC. 4. MOTOR VEHICLE BACKOVER PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation shall evaluate the 
available technologies for detecting and preventing collisions with 
individuals and objects behind a motor vehicle, with respect to the 
accuracy, effectiveness, cost, and feasibility of installation of such 
technologies in a wide variety of motor vehicles.
    (b) Report.--The Secretary of Transportation shall submit a report 
on the findings of the evaluation under this section to the Congress by 
not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS REQUIRING BACKUP DETECTION 
              DEVICES.

    (a) In General.--Based on the findings of the evaluation under 
section 4, the Secretary of Transportation shall prescribe motor 
vehicle safety standards that--
            (1) require the installation, as standard equipment on a 
        new motor vehicle, of devices for detecting, and providing to 
        operators of such a vehicle a warning of, individuals and 
        objects behind the motor vehicle; and
            (2) establish requirements for the performance of such 
        devices.
    (b) Phased-In Application.--Standards prescribed under this section 
shall take effect (as specified by the standards) over the 3-year 
period beginning on the date of the submission of the report under 
section 4(b), as follows:
            (1) With respect to light trucks (as defined by the 
        Administration for purposes of the standards), by not later 
        than the end of the 2-year period beginning on such date.
            (2) With respect to other passenger motor vehicles 
        specified by the Secretary of Transportation, after the end of 
        such 2-year period and by not later than the end of the 3-year 
        period beginning on such date.

SEC. 6. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS FOR POWER WINDOWS AND POWER 
              SUNROOFS.

    The Secretary of Transportation shall, by not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, prescribe motor vehicle 
safety standards for power windows and power sunroofs, that--
            (1) ensure that the operation of power windows, power 
        window switches, and power sunroofs cannot result in deaths and 
        injuries; and
            (2) require inclusion with power windows and power sunroofs 
        of--
                    (A) child-safe switches; and
                    (B) auto reverse technology.
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