[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1422 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1422

  To establish a grant program in the Department of Transportation to 
              improve the traffic safety of teen drivers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2011

 Ms. Klobuchar introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a grant program in the Department of Transportation to 
              improve the traffic safety of teen drivers.

    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 ``Students Taking Action for Road 
Safety Act of 2011'' or the ``STARS Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Transportation.
            (2) Teen driver.--The term ``teen driver'' means a driver 
        who is younger than 21 years of age.
            (3) Teen traffic safety program.--The term ``teen traffic 
        safety program'' includes peer-to-peer education and prevention 
        strategies in schools and communities to increase safety belt 
        use and to reduce speeding, impaired and distracted driving, 
        underage drinking, and other destructive decisions by teen 
        drivers that lead to injuries and fatalities.

SEC. 3. TEEN DRIVER SAFETY PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish 
a teen traffic safety grant program under which the Secretary shall 
award grants to States to implement a statewide program to improve the 
traffic safety of teen drivers.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the program is to support peer-to-peer 
education and prevention strategies in schools and communities--
            (1) to increase safety belt use;
            (2) to reduce speeding;
            (3) to reduce impaired and distracted driving;
            (4) to reduce underage drinking; and
            (5) to reduce other destructive decisions by teen drivers 
        that lead to injuries and fatalities.
    (c) Application.--Any State desiring a grant under this section 
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
    (d) Eligible Activities.--A State may use grant funds received 
under this section to implement a statewide program to improve traffic 
safety of teen drivers, including--
            (1) working with student-led groups and advisors from 
        schools to plan and implement teen traffic safety programs;
            (2) providing subgrants to schools throughout the State to 
        support the establishment and expansion of student groups 
        focused on teen traffic safety;
            (3) providing support, training, and technical assistance 
        to establish and expand school and community safety programs 
        for teen drivers;
            (4) creating statewide or regional websites to publicize 
        and circulate information on teen safety programs;
            (5) conducting outreach and providing educational resources 
        for parents;
            (6) establishing State or regional advisory councils 
        comprised of teen drivers to provide input and recommendations 
        to the governor and governor's safety representative on issues 
        related to the safety of teen drivers;
            (7) collaborating with law enforcement;
            (8) organizing and hosting State and regional conferences 
        for teen drivers;
            (9) establishing partnerships and promoting coordination 
        among community stakeholders, including public, not-for-profit, 
        and for-profit entities; and
            (10) funding a position of coordinator for the teen safety 
        program in the State or region.
    (e) Grant Amount.--The amount of a grant available to a State under 
this section shall be based on a formula administered by the Secretary, 
which shall--
            (1) consider the number of teen drivers in each State; and
            (2) guarantee that each State that applies for a grant 
        under this section receives at least $200,000 per year.
    (f) Supplement Not Supplant.--Grant funds provided under this 
section shall be used to supplement, not supplant, Federal and non-
Federal funds available for carrying out the activities described in 
this section.
    (g) Reallocation of Funds.--An agency of a State that receives a 
grant under this section may reallocate grant funds to 1 or more 
nonprofit organizations to carry out the grant program under this 
section.
    (h) Technical Assistance Center and Clearinghouse.--
            (1) Establishment of center.--From funds appropriated 
        pursuant to subsection (i), the Secretary of Transportation may 
        use up to $500,000 to contract with a national, nonprofit 
        organization to establish a technical assistance center 
        (referred to in this subsection as the ``Center'') to provide 
        training and technical assistance to State and local officials, 
        student leaders, school advisors, and other entities associated 
        with the grant program under this section.
            (2) Use of funds.--The Center may use funds received under 
        such paragraph for training, communications, publications, 
        conferences, meetings and other assistance considered 
        appropriate to develop and sustain a statewide program to 
        improve traffic safety of teen drivers.
            (3) Clearinghouse.--The Center may operate a national teen 
        traffic safety clearinghouse--
                    (A) to develop information and resources for 
                improving the health and safety of teen drivers;
                    (B) to disseminate techniques and strategies used 
                for successful teen safety programs; and
                    (C) to develop and carry out a public awareness 
                campaign related to the safety of teen drivers.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit 
Account) $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016 to 
carry out this section.

SEC. 4. TEEN DRIVER ADVISORY COUNCIL.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish the National Teen 
Driver Advisory Council (referred to in this section as the 
``Council''), which shall be comprised of teen drivers and leaders in 
teen traffic safety.
    (b) Strategy and Report.--
            (1) Strategy.--The Council, in consultation with teen 
        drivers and leaders in teen traffic safety, including 
        representatives of appropriate Federal agencies, shall study 
        and develop an education and prevention strategy for reducing 
        injuries and fatalities for teen drivers.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to 
        the appropriate committees of Congress that contains--
                    (A) the results of the study conducted by the 
                Council; and
                    (B) a description of the strategy developed by the 
                Council.

SEC. 5. FUNDING.

    Of the amounts made available to carry out section 406 of title 23, 
United States Code, for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016, 
$25,000,000 shall be made available to carry out this Act.
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