[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 2319]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          CAMERON GULBRANSEN KIDS AND CARS SAFETY ACT OF 2007

  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Clinton, 
Senator Sununu, and myself, I ask unanimous consent that the Commerce 
Committee be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate 
consideration of H.R. 1216, the Kids and Cars Safety Act, otherwise 
known as the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 1216) to direct the Secretary of 
     Transportation to issue regulations to reduce the incidence 
     of child injury and death occurring inside and outside of 
     light motor vehicles, and for other purposes.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. SUNUNU. Reserving the right to object, and I certainly will not, 
given that the Senator from Florida has offered the consent on my 
behalf, I thank him for stepping forward and offering his request.
  This is legislation that I coauthored with Senator Clinton. On the 
House side, there were Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Peter King 
who introduced companion legislation. It addresses the issue of known 
traffic accidents. There were 230 children killed last year in 
nontraffic auto accidents. We worked very cooperatively with Senator 
Nelson and others on the Commerce Committee to put together a package 
that could be implemented quickly and effectively to help reduce this 
unnecessary loss of life.
  I thank Senator Nelson for his work on the committee and certainly 
offer my praise for the work done on the other side. I am pleased to 
see that this legislation is going to be passed and sent to the 
President and become law. Again, I thank the Senator from Florida.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read 
a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 1216) was ordered to be read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida. Mr. NELSON of 
Florida. Mr. President, I just want to say this has been a long time 
coming. There was a hiccup back in December. We tried to get it cleared 
then. This is the backover bill, the horror of any parents that their 
child is behind the car, and they cannot see the child or a neighbor is 
backing from their garage down their driveway, and they cannot see the 
child.
  So what this bill will require is a device that can be either a 
sensor or a viewer. It will require that in future vehicles. It will 
also require that when automatic windows go up, if they hit an object, 
such as a child's neck and head, automatically that window goes down.
  This is much-needed legislation. We are very appreciative that the 
Senate has cleared this action, and we can get it over to the House and 
try to get it passed.
  I yield the floor.

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