Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2009
Latest action · Mar 10, 2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 9, 2009
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe regulations requiring motorcoaches to be installed with: (1) safety seat belts at each seating position; (2) advanced glazing in each portal to prevent passenger ejection; (3) improved firefighting equipment; and (4) enhanced compartmentalization safety countermeasures and certain other motor vehicle safety features.
Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress on improving bus crashworthiness, bus crash avoidance, and bus fire protection and passenger evacuation.
Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations: (1) requiring providers of motorcoach services registered with the the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to undergo periodic safety reviews; (2) establishing a training curriculum and providing certification for each driver of a motorcoach seeking a commercial driver's license (CDL) passenger endorsement; (3) improving CDL testing; (4) requiring a driver of a commercial motor vehicle that transports for compensation between nine and 15 passengers to have a CDL; (5) preventing the submission and use of invalid or fraudulent medical certificates by applicants for a CDL; (6) requiring the annual review of state licensing authorities to assess the accuracy of physical examination reports and medical certificates of CDL applicants that are submitted by medical examiners to such authorities; and (7) requiring that all commercial motor vehicles be equipped with electronic on-board recorders (that record driver hours of service) and event data recorders, as well as direct tire pressure monitoring warning systems. Sets forth a deadline for the Secretary to establish the national registry of medical examiners.
Requires the Secretary to establish a performance standard for retreaded commercial motor vehicle tires that ensures such tires achieve a safety level of performance equivalent to that of new commercial motor vehicle tires.
Requires a state to conduct an annual commercial motor vehicle inspection program in order to receive a grant for the development or implementation of programs for improving motor carrier safety.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a qualified motorcoach safety credit to a taxpayer for 10% of the costs of qualified new motorcoaches and of improvements to existing in-service motorcoaches to satisfy new federal safety standards for installation of occupant protection systems.
Requires the Secretary to award supplemental grants (not to exceed $20,000 per vehicle) to motorcoach operators to assist with the cost of retrofitting motorcoaches to comply with such federal standards.
Amends the Small Business Act to grant the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) authority to make SBA loans and loan guarantees to small business manufacturers of motorcoaches and small business motorcoach service providers, including to help retrofit their buses and motorcoaches for occupant protection.
Cosponsors 11
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 9, 2009 to May 28, 2010; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Bob Filner | Original | Mar 9, 2009 |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | Apr 27, 2009 | |
| R-TX | Michael C. Burgess | Apr 27, 2009 | |
| R-TX | Ted Poe | Apr 30, 2009 | |
| R-TX | K. Michael Conaway | May 7, 2009 | |
| D-TX | Al Green | Jun 4, 2009 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Jun 16, 2009 | |
| D-TX | Lloyd Doggett | Nov 5, 2009 | |
| R-TX | Lamar Smith | Nov 6, 2009 | |
| R-TX | John R. Carter | Dec 8, 2009 | |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | May 28, 2010 |
Committees 4
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred Mar 9, 2009 |
| Highways and Transit Subcommittee | Referred Mar 10, 2009 | |
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Mar 9, 2009 |
| Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee | Referred Mar 10, 2009 | |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Mar 9, 2009 |
| House | Small Business Committee | Referred Mar 9, 2009 |
| Finance and Tax | Referred Mar 9, 2009 |
Actions 9
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 10, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
- Mar 10, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
- Mar 9, 2009Introduced in House
- Mar 9, 2009Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure
- Mar 9, 2009Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Small Business, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Mar 9, 2009Referred to House Energy and Commerce
- Mar 9, 2009Referred to House Ways and Means
- Mar 9, 2009Referred to House Small Business
- Mar 9, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Finance and Tax.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 111-495 | NOMINATIONS OF ANNE FERRO AND CYNTHIA L. QUARTERMAN TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION55 pages | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Sep 23, 2009 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 554 | Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2009 | Related bill | Jun 8, 2010 |
| HR 1135 | BUSES Act of 2009 | Text similarities | Feb 24, 2009 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To improve the safety of motorcoaches, to allow a credit against income tax for the cost of motorcoaches complying with Federal safety requirements, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2009
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Transportation and Public Works.
- Accidents
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Business investment and capital
- Department of Transportation
- Employment and training programs
- Fires
- Government lending and loan guarantees
- Government studies and investigations
- Income tax credits
- Licensing and registrations
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Motor carriers
- Motor vehicles
- Small business
- Transportation and Public Works
- Transportation employees
- Transportation programs funding
- Transportation safety and security
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 9, 2009Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
