Safer Trucks and Buses Act of 2015
The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Public Administration to study how to improve the Compliance, Safety, Accountability initiative of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
DOT must ensure that motor carrier safety data predictive of crashes which is generated under this initiative is not made available to the public (except law enforcement personnel) until the study findings and recommendations are reported to Congress.
Such data may not be used used in a civil action for damages resulting from an incident involving a motor carrier.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1371 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1371
To improve the Compliance, Safety, Accountability initiative of the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 16, 2015
Mr. Barletta introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the Compliance, Safety, Accountability initiative of the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Safer Trucks and Buses Act of
2015''.
SEC. 2. COMPLIANCE, SAFETY, ACCOUNTABILITY INITIATIVE.
(a) Data Availability and Use.--
(1) Availability.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary of Transportation
shall ensure that covered motor carrier data is not
made available to the public.
(B) Rule of construction.--Subparagraph (A) may not
be construed to prevent covered motor carrier data from
being made available to law enforcement personnel.
(C) Termination.--Subparagraph (A) shall cease to
have effect on the date on which the Secretary submits
to Congress the report required under subsection (e).
(2) Use.--Covered motor carrier data may not be admitted
into evidence or otherwise used in a civil action for damages
resulting from an incident involving a motor carrier.
(b) Study.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into an
agreement with the National Academy of Public Administration to
have the Academy conduct a study on how to improve the
Compliance, Safety, Accountability initiative of the Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration, including how to ensure
that the initiative--
(A) utilizes only safety data determined to be
predictive of motor carrier crashes;
(B) appropriately addresses concerns relating to
the age of utilized safety data, including violations;
(C) does not unfairly harm small motor carriers as
a result of limited safety data availability;
(D) appropriately addresses differences between
motor carriers transporting passengers and motor
carriers transporting freight;
(E) allows individual motor carriers to be
effectively compared; and
(F) utilizes accurate safety data, including--
(i) by appropriately addressing variations
between State- and self-reported data;
(ii) by accounting for geographic
differences with respect to enforcement; and
(iii) by not utilizing crash data from
crashes with respect to which a motor carrier
was free from fault.
(2) Free from fault.--For purposes of paragraph
(1)(F)(iii), a motor carrier is free from fault with respect to
a crash if--
(A) the vehicle of the carrier was struck by
another vehicle that--
(i) crossed the center line or median of a
roadway;
(ii) was driving the wrong way on a
roadway;
(iii) struck the rear of the carrier's
vehicle while the vehicle was being lawfully
operated;
(iv) struck the carrier's vehicle while the
vehicle was legally stopped at a traffic
control device or off the traveled portion of a
roadway; or
(v) was operated by an individual--
(I) found to be driving under the
influence of alcohol;
(II) found by a law enforcement
officer or agency to be responsible for
the crash; or
(III) who was the sole party cited
by law enforcement for an action that
contributed to the crash;
(B) the crash was the result of an individual,
other than the driver of the carrier's vehicle,
committing suicide;
(C) the vehicle of the carrier was struck by an
animal; or
(D) the carrier is otherwise determined not
responsible for the crash.
(c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which the
Secretary enters into an agreement under subsection (b), the National
Academy of Public Administration shall submit to the Secretary, the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of
Representatives, and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate a report on the results of the study
conducted under subsection (b), including recommendations for
improvement based on those results.
(d) Implementation of Recommendations.--Not later than 90 days
after the date on which the National Academy of Public Administration
submits the report required under subsection (c), the Secretary shall
begin implementing the recommendations included in that report.
(e) Certification of Implementation.--Not later than 1 year after
the date on which the Secretary begins implementing recommendations
under subsection (d), the Secretary shall complete the implementation
of such recommendations and shall submit to Congress a report that--
(1) describes the implementation of such recommendations;
(2) contains a document in which the Secretary certifies
that such implementation is complete; and
(3) contains a document in which the Inspector General of
the Department of Transportation certifies that such
implementation is complete.
(f) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) Covered motor carrier data.--The term ``covered motor
carrier data'' means the Compliance, Safety, Accountability
Safety Measurement System scores and performance data of the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
(2) Motor carrier.--The term ``motor carrier'' has the
meaning given that term in section 13102 of title 49, United
States Code.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
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