Today, the House of Representatives passed three key pieces of transportation-related legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens).

The measures, which passed unanimously, were attached to the $325 billion Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act, the bill that funds the nation’s roads, bridges, highways and mass transit systems.

Meng’s provisions include the following:

• Legislation to improve school bus safety

Under the measure, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) would be required to review existing federal and state rules and guidance that cover things such as bus maintenance, driver training, inspection standards and public access to inspection results and accident data. After these items are reviewed, experts would be required to issue recommendations on best practices that aim to improve the safety and reliability of school bus transportation. GAO is an independent, nonpartisan government agency that evaluates and investigates data for Congress.

• Legislation to improve the performance of child car seats

The provision would require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to improve data collection on the types of child restraint systems in use when a child is involved in an automobile collision. After three years of collecting data, the legislation would mandate that the Secretary of Transportation submit a report to Congress on the performance of different types of child restraint systems. Data improvements would include information on the type of child restraint system in use – a five-point harness or booster seat – and whether the restraint was forward or rear facing when the crash occurred.

• Legislation to address privacy protections in driverless car

This measure would add consumer privacy protections to the list of items GAO must assess when evaluating the readiness of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to handle autonomous vehicle technologies such as driverless cars. A provision in the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act would require GAO to assess the readiness and challenges of autonomous vehicle technology, and provide a report on it to Congress. Examining privacy protections would ensure that these issues are addressed when this technology is rolled out in the future.

“These measures will go a long way towards saving children’s lives, preventing future tragedies and ensuring that privacy protections are addressed for future driving technology,” said Meng. “I thank my colleagues in the House for approving these common-sense pieces of legislation, and look forward to our nation benefiting from each one after all are enacted into law.”

Rep. Mia Love (R-UT), who worked with Meng on introducing the car seat legislation, said: “This amendment will help improve child safety in vehicle crashes, and I’m proud to join Congresswoman Meng in introducing it. As both a mother, and a representative of the state with the highest birthrate, I know how incredibly important child restraint systems are in providing safety to children in vehicle crashes. This amendment will allow us to keep track of how effective these restraints are for Utah-and America’s-young families.” 

Meng and Love are Co-Chairs of the Kids Safety Caucus, the first bipartisan coalition in the House that promotes child-safety issues.

The Senate, which has already passed its version of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act, will either adopt the House measure or reconcile differences in the two bills. A final version will then be sent to the President.     

The Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act passed the House late this morning by a vote of 363 to 64.