[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 86 (Friday, June 24, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7378-S7379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Salazar, and Mr.
Kerry):
S. 1311. A bill to provide grants for use by rural local educational
agencies in purchasing new school buses; to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, many years ago, when I attended school in
Searchlight, I walked to school. And when it was time for high school,
I hitched a ride into a town forty miles away and had to stay with
family during the week. There weren't many options back then. That was
the transportation system in rural America: walk or hitchhike.
Now, of course, we have school buses to get children to school.
Unfortunately, rural school districts across America are strapped.
They can't afford to buy newer, safer buses. And skyrocketing gas
prices have only made the problem worse. As a result, many rural areas
have no choice but to operate outdated, unsafe school buses for as long
as they can pass inspection.
Last year, I met with the school superintendents in my State. While
each district identified their own, unique challenge, they all had an
urgent need for school buses. I was astonished to learn that the school
buses in some rural Nevada counties travel a combined million miles in
a single school year.
The superintendents asked for my help, and I want to help. And based
on conversations with some of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle,
I am pretty confident the need for newer and safer school buses is not
unique to Nevada's rural school districts.
I am introducing legislation today that will help rural districts
transport children to school in a way that is safe, affordable, and
environmentally sound.
The ``Bus Utility and Safety in School Transportation Opportunity and
Purchasing Act of 2005''--or BUS STOP--authorizes the Federal
Government to provide $50,000,000 in grants on a competitive basis to
rural local education agencies seeking Federal share assistance to
purchase school buses. The Federal share will be 75 percent.
Some may wonder why we need such a program when the Environmental
Protection Agency already has a cost-share grant program to help school
districts purchase new buses powered by natural gas or other
alternative fuels.
Unfortunately, most of the rural districts in my State, and, I would
imagine, across the country cannot apply for these grants because they
don't have the infrastructure in place to support this technology.
However, working in the spirit of clean air and healthy children, my
bill will help rural school districts buy newer buses that are better
for our air, and safer for our children.
There are many small, rural towns in America, like Searchlight, where
the kids need our help. They deserve no less than safe. clean,
economical buses to get them to school.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the
Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
S. 1311
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 ``Bus Utility and Safety in
School Transportation Opportunity and Purchasing Act of
2005''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) school transportation issues remain a concern for
parents, local educational agencies, lawmakers, the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National
Transportation Safety Board, and the Environmental Protection
Agency;
(2) millions of children face potential future health
problems because of exposure to noxious fumes emitted from
older school buses;
(3) many rural local educational agencies are operating
outdated, unsafe school buses that are failing inspection,
resulting in a depletion of the school bus fleets of the
local educational agencies; and
(4) many rural local educational agencies are unable to
afford newer and safer buses.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to establish
within the Department of Education a Federal cost-sharing
program to assist rural local educational agencies with
older, unsafe school bus fleets in purchasing newer, safer
school buses.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Rural local educational agency.--The term ``rural local
educational agency'' means a local educational agency, as
defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801), with respect to
which--
(A) each county in which a school served by the local
educational agency is located has a total population density
of fewer than 10 persons per square mile;
(B) all schools served by the local educational agency are
designated with a school locale code of 7 or 8, as determined
by the Secretary of Education; or
(C) all schools served by the local educational agency have
been designated, by official action taken by the legislature
of the State in which the local educational agency is
located, as rural schools for purposes relating to the
provision of educational services to students in the State.
(2) School bus.--The term ``school bus'' means a vehicle
the primary purpose of which is to transport students to and
from school or school activities.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Education.
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--From amounts made available under
subsection (e) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide
grants, on a competitive basis, to rural local educational
agencies to pay the Federal share of the cost of purchasing
new school buses.
(b) Application.--
(1) In general.--Each rural local educational agency that
seeks to receive a grant under this Act shall submit to the
Secretary for approval an application at such time, in such
manner, and accompanied by such information (in addition to
information required under paragraph (2)) as the Secretary
may require.
(2) Contents.--Each application submitted under paragraph
(1) shall include--
(A) documentation that, of the total number of school buses
operated by the rural local educational agency, not less than
50
[[Page S7379]]
percent of the school buses are in need of repair or
replacement;
(B) documentation of the number of miles that each school
bus operated by the rural local educational agency traveled
in the most recent 9-month academic year;
(C) documentation that the rural local educational agency
is operating with a reduced fleet of school buses;
(D) a certification from the rural local educational agency
that--
(i) authorizes the application of the rural local
educational agency for a grant under this Act; and
(ii) describes the dedication of the rural local
educational agency to school bus replacement programs and
school transportation needs (including the number of new
school buses needed by the rural local educational agency);
and
(E) an assurance that the rural local educational agency
will pay the non-Federal share of the cost of the purchase of
new school buses under this Act from non-Federal sources.
(c) Priority.--
(1) In general.--In providing grants under this Act, the
Secretary shall give priority to rural local educational
agencies that, as determined by the Secretary--
(A) are transporting students in a bus manufactured before
1977;
(B) have a grossly depleted fleet of school buses; or
(C) serve a school that is required, under section
1116(b)(9) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6316(b)(9)), to provide transportation to
students to enable the students to transfer to another public
school served by the rural local educational agency.
(d) Payments; Federal Share.--
(1) Payments.--The Secretary shall pay to each rural local
educational agency having an application approved under this
section the Federal share described in paragraph (2) of the
cost of purchasing such number of new school buses as is
specified in the approved application.
(2) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of
purchasing a new school bus under this Act shall be 75
percent.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
(2) such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years
2007 through 2011.
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