[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2210 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2210

 To require combination 3-point safety belts on certain school buses, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2005

 Mr. Baca (for himself, Mr. Cleaver, and Mr. Brown of Ohio) introduced 
      the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require combination 3-point safety belts on certain school buses, 
                        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 ``Save Every Child Using Restraints 
Act of 2005''.

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) These studies also concluded that 3-point safety belts 
        may not be compatible with seats designed according to the 
        current safety mechanism of compartmentalization.
            (4) These 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. SAFETY BELTS IN SCHOOL BUSES.

    (a) Safety Standard.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall issue 
regulations establishing a safety standard requiring that such school 
buses with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds, as the 
Secretary determines appropriate, be equipped with 3-point safety belts 
on all seats.
    (b) Compatibility With Compartmentalization Safety Mechanism.--In 
formulating the safety standard under this section, 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.

SEC. 4. ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TRAFFIC SAFETY EDUCATION.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Transportation shall establish an elementary and 
secondary school traffic safety program, including providing education 
on the use and misuse of 3-point safety belts on all school buses.
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