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.
“SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ACT OF 1995” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1274 on June 16, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ACT OF 1995
______
HON. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Friday, June 16, 1995
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, every schoolday in our country approximately 418,000 schoolbuses carry 24 million schoolchildren to and from school and school-sponsored activities covering 4.5 billion miles. Schoolbus safety is an issue that certainly deserves the attention of the American people and the Congress. Between 1988 and 1993 approximately 400 people were killed, and 67,900 people were injured, as a result of schoolbus accidents. In my State of Ohio, there were 475 people--426 of them students--injured in schoolbus accidents in the 1992-93 school year.
Without question the schoolbus is the safest mode of transportation on America's roads today. My goal is to improve on existing technologies to maximize safety. Today, Mr. Speaker, I am introducing a bill to do just that. The School Bus Safety Act does a number of things that will ensure the safe travel of our most valuable resources: our children.
My bill directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to set national proficiency standards for schoolbus drivers. It also directs the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop guidelines on the safe transportation in schoolbuses of children under the age of 5. Currently, today's buses are designed to transport and provide maximum safety for children above the age of 6. It would apply the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations [FMCSR] to interstate schoolbus operations. Presently, schoolbuses owned and operated by school districts, regardless of the type of operation involved, are not covered by FMCSR because the school districts are exempt governmental entities. My bill mandates a national criminal history background check system to enable local education agencies, or contractors, to check the criminal background of any person they are considering for employment as bus drivers. In addition, the bill calls for the establishment of construction, design, and securement standards for wheelchairs used in schoolbuses. Finally, my bill directs the DOT study the usage of seat belts on schoolbuses, the extent to which public transit vehicles are engaged in schoolbus operations, and the contracting out of schoolbus operations.
Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have long championed Federal measures to promote transportation safety. My bill jets forth a reasonable plan for improving schoolbus safety and safeguarding the lives of schoolchildren. I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation.
____________________
