[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4488 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4488

  To amend title 23, United States Code, to include school bus route 
  safety in the safe routes to school program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 12, 2026

 Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Mr. Young) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment 
                            and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 23, United States Code, to include school bus route 
  safety in the safe routes to school program, 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 ``Safe Bus Routes to School Act''.

SEC. 2. SAFE BUS ROUTES TO SCHOOL.

    (a) In General.--Section 208 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) School bus route.--The term `school bus route' means 
        a designated course regularly traveled by a school bus for to-
        and-from transportation to pick up students and take them to 
        school or to deliver students from school to their homes or to 
        designated bus stops that are approved by the local education 
        agency.'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' after the 
                semicolon at the end;
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) to facilitate the planning, development, and 
        implementation of projects and activities that will support 
        safer school bus routes and stops.''; and
            (3) in subsection (g)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(A)--
                            (i) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; and'';
                            (ii) by striking ``may be used for the 
                        planning'' and inserting the following: ``may 
                        be used for--
                            ``(i) the planning''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(ii) the planning, design, and 
                        construction of infrastructure-related projects 
                        that will substantially improve the ability of 
                        students to safely wait for and take a school 
                        bus to and from school, including sidewalk 
                        improvements, traffic calming and speed 
                        reduction improvements, pedestrian crossing 
                        improvements, waiting areas at bus stops, and 
                        traffic diversion improvements on a school bus 
                        route.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(A)--
                            (i) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; and'';
                            (ii) by striking ``noninfrastructure-
                        related activities to encourage'' and inserting 
                        the following: ``noninfrastructure-related 
                        activities--
                            ``(i) to encourage''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(ii) to encourage safe school bus 
                        ridership, including public awareness campaigns 
                        and outreach to press and community leaders, 
                        traffic education and enforcement in the 
                        vicinity of school bus routes, and student 
                        sessions on school bus safety rules.''.
    (b) Highway Safety Improvement Program.--Section 148(a) of title 
23, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4)(B)--
                    (A) by redesignating clause (xxix) as clause (xxx);
                    (B) by inserting after clause (xxviii) the 
                following:
                            ``(xxix) Safe routes to school 
                        infrastructure-related projects described in 
                        section 208(g)(1).''; and
                    (C) in clause (xxx) (as redesignated), by striking 
                ``(xxviii)'' and inserting ``(xxix)''; and
            (2) in paragraph (11)(B)(i), by inserting ``and school bus 
        stop safety'' after ``road users''.
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