The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ACT OF 1997” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1272-E1273 on June 19, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ACT OF 1997
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HON. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 19, 1997
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, since 1985, 1,478 people have died in school bus-related crashes--an average of 134 fatalities per year. Although school bus related travel is the safest mode of transportation on America's roads today, more can, and should, be done to ensure the safety of this country's most cherished resources--our children. That is why I have introduced legislation that improves on existing technologies and maximizes safety for the 24 million children who ride buses to and from school each day.
My bill directs the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to set national proficiency standards for school bus drivers. It directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop guidelines on the safe transportation in school buses of children under the age of five. It also applies Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to interstate school bus operations. The bill also requires: a decrease in the flammability of materials used in the construction of the interiors of school buses; the establishment of construction, design, and securement standards for wheelchairs used in the transportation of students in school buses; and that buses be equipped with bumper sensors, wheel guards and a system that detects a trapped obstacle in the door of the vehicle. The legislation requires the establishment of a national criminal history background check system to enable local education agencies, or contractors, to check the criminal background of any person applying for employment as a bus driver. It requires the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Science to conduct a study of the safety issues attendant to transportation of school children to and from school and school-related activities by various transportation modes, including public transit vehicles. And finally, my bill establishes a pilot program for one school district in the country to assess the benefits of equipping school buses with shoulder harness mechanisms, similar to the equipment used by flight attendants on passenger aircraft.
My bill makes modest common sense reforms to ensure that the children who ride our school buses each day have the safest mode of transportation possible. I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.
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