SAFE Limos Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2956 To establish safety standards for certain limousines, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 4, 2021 Mr. TONKO (for himself, Mr. DELGADO, and Ms. STEFANIK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To establish safety standards for certain limousines, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safety, Accountability, 4 and Federal Enforcement of Limos Act of 2021’’ or the 5 ‘‘SAFE Limos Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. LIMOUSINE COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL SAFETY 7 STANDARDS. 8 (a) LIMOUSINE STANDARDS.— 9 (1) SAFETY BELT AND SEATING SYSTEM 10 STANDARDS FOR LIMOUSINES.—Not later than 2 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2956 IH years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 1 Secretary shall prescribe a final rule— 2 (A) that amends Federal Motor Vehicle 3 Safety Standard Numbers 208, 209, and 210 to 4 require to be installed in limousines at each 5 designated seating position, including on side- 6 facing seats— 7 (i) an occupant restraint system con- 8 sisting of integrated lap shoulder belts; or 9 (ii) an occupant restraint system con- 10 sisting of a lap belt if the occupant re- 11 straint system described in clause (i) does 12 not meet the need for motor vehicle safety; 13 and 14 (B) that amends Federal Motor Vehicle 15 Safety Standard Number 207 to require lim- 16 ousines to meet standards for seats (including 17 side-facing seats), seat attachment assemblies, 18 and seat installation to minimize the possibility 19 of their failure by forces acting on them as a 20 result of vehicle impact. 21 (2) REPORT ON RETROFIT ASSESSMENT FOR 22 LIMOUSINES.—Not later than 2 years after the date 23 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 24 submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2956 IH of the House of Representatives and the Committee 1 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 2 Senate a report that assesses the feasibility, bene- 3 fits, and costs with respect to the application of any 4 requirement established under paragraph (1) to a 5 limousine introduced into interstate commerce before 6 the date on which the requirement takes effect. 7 (b) SAFETY REGULATION OF LIMOUSINES.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 30102(a)(6) of title 9 49, United States Code, is amended— 10 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ 11 at the end; 12 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 13 period and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 14 (C) by adding at the end the following: 15 ‘‘(C) modifying a passenger motor vehicle 16 (as such term is defined in section 32101) that 17 has already been purchased by the first pur- 18 chaser (as such term is defined in subsection 19 (b)) by increasing the wheelbase of the vehicle 20 so that the vehicle has increased seating capac- 21 ity.’’. 22 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 23 by paragraph (1) shall apply beginning on the date 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2956 IH that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 1 Act. 2 (c) LIMOUSINE COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL SAFE- 3 TY STANDARDS.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 301 of title 49, 5 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 6 section 30128 the following: 7 ‘‘§ 30129. Limousine compliance with Federal safety 8 standards 9 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—Beginning on the date that is 10 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, a 11 limousine remodeler may not offer for sale, lease, or rent, 12 introduce or deliver for introduction into interstate com- 13 merce, or import into the United States a new limousine 14 unless the limousine remodeler has submitted to the Sec- 15 retary a vehicle remodeler plan (or an updated vehicle re- 16 modeler plan required by subsection (b), as applicable) 17 that describes how the remodeler is mitigating risks to 18 motor vehicle safety posed by the limousines of the remod- 19 eler. A vehicle remodeler plan shall include the following: 20 ‘‘(1) Verification and validation of compliance 21 with applicable motor vehicle safety standards. 22 ‘‘(2) Design, quality control, manufacturing, 23 and training practices adopted by the limousine re- 24 modeler. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2956 IH ‘‘(3) Customer support guidelines, including in- 1 structions for limousine occupants to wear seatbelts 2 and limousine operators to notify occupants of the 3 date and results of the most recent inspection of the 4 limousine. 5 ‘‘(b) UPDATES.—Each limousine remodeler shall sub- 6 mit an updated vehicle remodeler plan to the Secretary 7 each year. 8 ‘‘(c) PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.—The Secretary shall 9 make any vehicle remodeler plan submitted under sub- 10 section (a) or (b) publicly available not later than 60 days 11 after the date on which the plan is received, except the 12 Secretary may not make publicly available any information 13 relating to a trade secret or other confidential business 14 information (as such terms are defined in section 512.3 15 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor 16 regulation)). 17 ‘‘(d) REVIEW.—The Secretary may inspect any vehi- 18 cle remodeler plan submitted by a limousine remodeler 19 under subsection (a) or (b) to enable the Secretary to de- 20 termine whether the limousine remodeler has complied, or 21 is complying, with this chapter or a regulation prescribed 22 or order issued pursuant to this chapter. 23 ‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 24 tion may be construed to affect discovery, a subpoena or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2956 IH other court order, or any other judicial process otherwise 1 allowed under applicable Federal or State law. 2 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 3 definitions apply: 4 ‘‘(1) CERTIFIED PASSENGER MOTOR VEHI- 5 CLE.—The term ‘certified passenger motor vehicle’ 6 means a passenger motor vehicle that has been cer- 7 tified in accordance with section 30115 to meet all 8 applicable motor vehicle safety standards. 9 ‘‘(2) INCOMPLETE VEHICLE.—The term ‘incom- 10 plete vehicle’ has the meaning given such term in 11 section 567.3 of title 49, Code of Federal Regula- 12 tions (or any successor regulation). 13 ‘‘(3) LIMOUSINE.—The term ‘limousine’ means 14 a motor vehicle— 15 ‘‘(A) that has a seating capacity of 9 or 16 more persons (including the driver); 17 ‘‘(B) with a gross vehicle weight rating 18 greater than 10,000 pounds but not greater 19 than 26,000 pounds; and 20 ‘‘(C) that the Secretary has determined by 21 regulation has physical characteristics resem- 22 bling— 23 ‘‘(i) a passenger car; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2956 IH ‘‘(ii) a multipurpose passenger vehicle; 1 or 2 ‘‘(iii) a truck with a gross vehicle 3 weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less. 4 ‘‘(4) LIMOUSINE OPERATOR.—The term ‘lim- 5 ousine operator’ means a person who owns or leases, 6 and uses, a limousine to transport passengers for 7 compensation. 8 ‘‘(5) LIMOUSINE REMODELER.—The term ‘lim- 9 ousine remodeler’ means a person who alters or 10 modifies by addition, substitution, or removal of 11 components (other than readily attachable compo- 12 nents) an incomplete vehicle, a vehicle manufactured 13 in two or more stages, or a certified passenger motor 14 vehicle before or after the first purchase of the vehi- 15 cle to manufacture a limousine. 16 ‘‘(6) MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE.— 17 The term ‘multipurpose passenger vehicle’ has the 18 meaning given such term in section 571.3 of title 49, 19 Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regu- 20 lation). 21 ‘‘(7) PASSENGER CAR.—The term ‘passenger 22 car’ has the meaning given such term in section 23 571.3 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or 24 any successor regulation). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2956 IH ‘‘(8) PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLE.—The term 1 ‘passenger motor vehicle’ has the meaning given 2 such term in section 32101. 3 ‘‘(9) TRUCK.—The term ‘truck’ has the mean- 4 ing given such term in section 571.3 of title 49, 5 Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regu- 6 lation).’’. 7 (2) ENFORCEMENT.—Section 30165(a)(1) of 8 title 49, United States Code, is amended by insert- 9 ing ‘‘30129,’’ after ‘‘30127,’’. 10 (3) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec- 11 tions for subchapter II of chapter 301 of title 49, 12 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 13 the item relating to section 30128 the following: 14 ‘‘30129. Limousine compliance with Federal safety standards.’’. (d) LIMOUSINE CRASHWORTHINESS.— 15 (1) RESEARCH.—Not later than 4 years after 16 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 17 shall complete research into the development of 18 motor vehicle safety standards for side impact pro- 19 tection, roof crush resistance, and air bag systems 20 for the protection of occupants for limousines with 21 alternative seating positions, including perimeter 22 seating arrangements. 23 (2) RULEMAKING OR REPORT.— 24 (A) CRASHWORTHINESS STANDARDS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2956 IH (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 1 years after the completion of the research 2 required under paragraph (1), except as 3 provided in clause (ii), the Secretary shall 4 prescribe a final motor vehicle safety 5 standard, for the protection of occupants 6 in limousines with alternative seating posi- 7 tions, for each of the following: 8 (I) Side impact protection. 9 (II) Roof crush resistance. 10 (III) Air bag systems. 11 (ii) REQUIREMENTS AND CONSIDER- 12 ATIONS.—The Secretary may only pre- 13 scribe a motor vehicle safety standard de- 14 scribed in clause (i) if the Secretary deter- 15 mines that such standard meets the re- 16 quirements and considerations set forth in 17 subsections (a) and (b) of section 30111 of 18 title 49, United States Code. 19 (B) REPORT.—If the Secretary determines 20 that a standard described in subparagraph 21 (A)(i) does not meet the requirements and con- 22 siderations set forth in subsections (a) and (b) 23 of section 30111 of title 49, United States 24 Code, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 2956 IH Register and submit to the Committee on En- 1 ergy and Commerce of the House of Represent- 2 atives and the Committee on Commerce, 3 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a re- 4 port describing the reasons for not prescribing 5 such standard. 6 (e) LIMOUSINE EVACUATION.— 7 (1) RESEARCH.—Not later than 2 years after 8 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 9 shall complete research into safety features and 10 standards that aid evacuation in the event that one 11 exit in the passenger compartment of a limousine is 12 blocked. 13 (2) STANDARDS.—Not later than 3 years after 14 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 15 shall prescribe a final motor vehicle safety standard 16 based on the results of the research under para- 17 graph (1). 18 (f) LIMOUSINE INSPECTION DISCLOSURE.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—A limousine operator may 20 not introduce a limousine into interstate commerce 21 unless the limousine operator has prominently dis- 22 closed in a clear and conspicuous notice, including 23 on the website of the operator if the operator has a 24 website, the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 2956 IH (A) The date of the most recent inspection 1 of the limousine required under State or Fed- 2 eral law. 3 (B) The results of the inspection. 4 (C) Any corrective action taken by the lim- 5 ousine operator to ensure the limousine passed 6 inspection. 7 (2) FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ENFORCE- 8 MENT.—The Federal Trade Commission shall en- 9 force this subsection in the same manner, by the 10 same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, 11 and duties as though all applicable terms and provi- 12 sions of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 13 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into and made 14 a part of this subsection. Any person who violates 15 this subsection shall be subject to the penalties and 16 entitled to the privileges and immunities provided in 17 the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et 18 seq.). 19 (3) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this sub- 20 section shall be construed to limit the authority of 21 the Federal Trade Commission under any other pro- 22 vision of law. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2956.IH H2956 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 2956 IH (4) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall 1 take effect 180 days after the date of the enactment 2 of this Act. 3 (g) EVENT DATA RECORDERS FOR LIMOUSINES.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 6 shall prescribe a final motor vehicle safety standard 7 requiring the use of event data recorders for lim- 8 ousines. 9 (2) PRIVACY PROTECTIONS.—Any standard pre- 10 scribed under paragraph (1) pertaining to event data 11 recorder information shall be consistent with the col- 12 lection and sharing requirements under the FAST 13 Act (Public Law 114–94) and any other applicable 14 law. 15 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi- 16 nitions apply: 17 (1) EVENT DATA RECORDER.—The term ‘‘event 18 data recorder’’ has the meaning given such term in 19 section 563.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regula- 20 tions (or any successor regulation). 21 (2) LIMOUSINE.—The term ‘‘limou [Text truncated for display. 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