[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 2, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           INTRODUCTION OF THE MOTORCOACH ENHANCED SAFETY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 2, 2011

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the 
Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act.
  Four years ago, a horrific accident occurred in my congressional 
district when a bus carrying the Bluffton University men's baseball 
team crashed on Interstate 75 in Atlanta, Georgia, en route to a 
tournament in Florida.
  Twenty-nine people were injured on that terrible day, but seven 
others--Zachary Arend, David Betts, Scott Harmon, Cody Holp, Tyler 
Williams and Jean and Jerome Niemeyer died that terrible day. They were 
all treated at various hospitals--Atlanta Medical Center, Piedmont 
Hospital, and Grady Memorial Hospital.
  The entire nation was shocked by the tragedy, and I was floored when 
my office received a phone call from one of the surgeons who treated 
the victims. Dr. Jeffrey Salomone, an Associate Professor of Surgery at 
Emory University School of Medicine, and Deputy Chief of Surgery at 
Grady Hospital was outraged. He felt that the injuries would have been 
less severe, and that more lives may have been saved had the victims 
not been ejected from the motorcoach bus. It was an accident that had 
been seen time and time again in emergency rooms across the country, 
and Dr. Salomone couldn't understand why the government had not acted.
  Well last year, Congress almost did. The sponsors of the Senate-
companion to this legislation--Sens. Sherrod Brown and Kay Bailey 
Hutchison--worked tirelessly to move the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act 
through the Committee process and onto the Floor. In the House, the 
Chairmen of both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and 
the Energy and Commerce Committee expressed interest and empathy on 
this issue. Secretary LaHood coordinated discussion groups and drafted 
a preliminary proposal to address motorcoach safety.
  Simply said, Mr. Speaker, Congress needs to act. This bill addresses 
the most common-sense of issues and has always enjoyed bipartisan 
support. The U.S. used to be a leader on safety and standards issues, 
but now we're falling behind. The proposals laid out in this 
legislation bring our nation's motorcoach industry into the 21st 
century. I hope that all my colleagues will cosponsor this important 
bill, and that the victims and their families will celebrate its 
signage into law this year.

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