[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5214 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5214

    To require combination 3-point safety belts on all school buses.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 5, 2004

   Mr. Baca introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require combination 3-point safety belts on all school buses.

    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 ``Save Every Child Using Restraints 
Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

     Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to a National Transportation Safety Board 
        report, the current safety feature of compartmentalization does 
        not protect school bus passengers during lateral impacts and 
        rollover crashes because passengers do not always remain 
        completely in their seat.
            (2) Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety 
        Administration indicated less trauma to the head and neck of 
        those passengers wearing 3-point safety belts in school buses 
        than by passengers in buses without 3-point safety belts, or 
        wearing only lap safety belts.
            (3) Such studies also concluded that 3-point safety belts 
        may not be compatible with seats designed according to the 
        current safety mechanism of compartmentalization.
            (4) Such studies have also shown the need for proper use of 
        safety belts and the need for increased education in school bus 
        safety and safety belt use.

SEC. 3. 3-POINT SAFETY BELTS IN SCHOOL BUSES.

    The Secretary of Transportation shall prescribe regulations 
establishing a safety standard requiring that all school buses with a 
gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds be equipped with 3-
point safety belts on all seats. In formulating the safety standard, 
the Secretary shall consider the compatibility of 3-point safety belts 
on seats designed according to the current safety mechanism of 
compartmentalization, as designated by the National Highway Traffic 
Safety Administration.
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