SAFE Limos Act

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1529 To establish safety standards for certain limousines, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 10, 2021 Mr. SCHUMER (for himself and Mrs. GILLIBRAND) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1529 IS (1) SAFETY BELT AND SEATING SYSTEM 1 STANDARDS FOR LIMOUSINES.—Not later than 2 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 3 Secretary shall prescribe a final rule— 4 (A) that amends Federal Motor Vehicle 5 Safety Standard Numbers 208, 209, and 210 to 6 require to be installed in limousines at each 7 designated seating position, including on side- 8 facing seats— 9 (i) an occupant restraint system con- 10 sisting of integrated lap shoulder belts; or 11 (ii) an occupant restraint system con- 12 sisting of a lap belt if the occupant re- 13 straint system described in clause (i) does 14 not meet the need for motor vehicle safety; 15 and 16 (B) that amends Federal Motor Vehicle 17 Safety Standard Number 207 to require lim- 18 ousines to meet standards for seats (including 19 side-facing seats), seat attachment assemblies, 20 and seat installation to minimize the possibility 21 of their failure by forces acting on them as a 22 result of vehicle impact. 23 (2) REPORT ON RETROFIT ASSESSMENT FOR 24 LIMOUSINES.—Not later than 2 years after the date 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1529 IS of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 1 submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 2 of the House of Representatives and the Committee 3 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 4 Senate a report that assesses the feasibility, bene- 5 fits, and costs with respect to the application of any 6 requirement established under paragraph (1) to a 7 limousine introduced into interstate commerce before 8 the date on which the requirement takes effect. 9 (b) SAFETY REGULATION OF LIMOUSINES.— 10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 30102(a)(6) of title 11 49, United States Code, is amended— 12 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ 13 at the end; 14 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 15 period and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 16 (C) by adding at the end the following: 17 ‘‘(C) modifying a passenger motor vehicle 18 (as such term is defined in section 32101) that 19 has already been purchased by the first pur- 20 chaser (as such term is defined in subsection 21 (b)) by increasing the wheelbase of the vehicle 22 so that the vehicle has increased seating capac- 23 ity.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1529 IS (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 1 by paragraph (1) shall apply beginning on the date 2 that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 3 Act. 4 (c) LIMOUSINE COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL SAFE- 5 TY STANDARDS.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 301 of title 49, 7 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 8 section 30128 the following: 9 ‘‘§ 30129. Limousine compliance with Federal safety 10 standards 11 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—Beginning on the date that is 12 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, a 13 limousine remodeler may not offer for sale, lease, or rent, 14 introduce or deliver for introduction into interstate com- 15 merce, or import into the United States a new limousine 16 unless the limousine remodeler has submitted to the Sec- 17 retary a vehicle remodeler plan (or an updated vehicle re- 18 modeler plan required by subsection (b), as applicable) 19 that describes how the remodeler is mitigating risks to 20 motor vehicle safety posed by the limousines of the remod- 21 eler. A vehicle remodeler plan shall include the following: 22 ‘‘(1) Verification and validation of compliance 23 with applicable motor vehicle safety standards. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1529 IS ‘‘(2) Design, quality control, manufacturing, 1 and training practices adopted by the limousine re- 2 modeler. 3 ‘‘(3) Customer support guidelines, including in- 4 structions for limousine occupants to wear seatbelts 5 and limousine operators to notify occupants of the 6 date and results of the most recent inspection of the 7 limousine. 8 ‘‘(b) UPDATES.—Each limousine remodeler shall sub- 9 mit an updated vehicle remodeler plan to the Secretary 10 each year. 11 ‘‘(c) PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.—The Secretary shall 12 make any vehicle remodeler plan submitted under sub- 13 section (a) or (b) publicly available not later than 60 days 14 after the date on which the plan is received, except the 15 Secretary may not make publicly available any information 16 relating to a trade secret or other confidential business 17 information (as such terms are defined in section 512.3 18 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor 19 regulation)). 20 ‘‘(d) REVIEW.—The Secretary may inspect any vehi- 21 cle remodeler plan submitted by a limousine remodeler 22 under subsection (a) or (b) to enable the Secretary to de- 23 termine whether the limousine remodeler has complied, or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1529 IS is complying, with this chapter or a regulation prescribed 1 or order issued pursuant to this chapter. 2 ‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 3 tion may be construed to affect discovery, a subpoena or 4 other court order, or any other judicial process otherwise 5 allowed under applicable Federal or State law. 6 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 7 definitions apply: 8 ‘‘(1) CERTIFIED PASSENGER MOTOR VEHI- 9 CLE.—The term ‘certified passenger motor vehicle’ 10 means a passenger motor vehicle that has been cer- 11 tified in accordance with section 30115 to meet all 12 applicable motor vehicle safety standards. 13 ‘‘(2) INCOMPLETE VEHICLE.—The term ‘incom- 14 plete vehicle’ has the meaning given such term in 15 section 567.3 of title 49, Code of Federal Regula- 16 tions (or any successor regulation). 17 ‘‘(3) LIMOUSINE.—The term ‘limousine’ means 18 a motor vehicle— 19 ‘‘(A) that has a seating capacity of 9 or 20 more persons (including the driver); 21 ‘‘(B) with a gross vehicle weight rating 22 greater than 10,000 pounds but not greater 23 than 26,000 pounds; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1529 IS ‘‘(C) that the Secretary has determined by 1 regulation has physical characteristics resem- 2 bling— 3 ‘‘(i) a passenger car; 4 ‘‘(ii) a multipurpose passenger vehicle; 5 or 6 ‘‘(iii) a truck with a gross vehicle 7 weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less. 8 ‘‘(4) LIMOUSINE OPERATOR.—The term ‘lim- 9 ousine operator’ means a person who owns or leases, 10 and uses, a limousine to transport passengers for 11 compensation. 12 ‘‘(5) LIMOUSINE REMODELER.—The term ‘lim- 13 ousine remodeler’ means a person who alters or 14 modifies by addition, substitution, or removal of 15 components (other than readily attachable compo- 16 nents) an incomplete vehicle, a vehicle manufactured 17 in two or more stages, or a certified passenger motor 18 vehicle before or after the first purchase of the vehi- 19 cle to manufacture a limousine. 20 ‘‘(6) MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE.— 21 The term ‘multipurpose passenger vehicle’ has the 22 meaning given such term in section 571.3 of title 49, 23 Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regu- 24 lation). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1529 IS ‘‘(7) PASSENGER CAR.—The term ‘passenger 1 car’ has the meaning given such term in section 2 571.3 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or 3 any successor regulation). 4 ‘‘(8) PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLE.—The term 5 ‘passenger motor vehicle’ has the meaning given 6 such term in section 32101. 7 ‘‘(9) TRUCK.—The term ‘truck’ has the mean- 8 ing given such term in section 571.3 of title 49, 9 Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regu- 10 lation).’’. 11 (2) ENFORCEMENT.—Section 30165(a)(1) of 12 title 49, United States Code, is amended by insert- 13 ing ‘‘30129,’’ after ‘‘30127,’’. 14 (3) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec- 15 tions for subchapter II of chapter 301 of title 49, 16 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 17 the item relating to section 30128 the following: 18 ‘‘30129. Limousine compliance with Federal safety standards.’’. (d) LIMOUSINE CRASHWORTHINESS.— 19 (1) RESEARCH.—Not later than 4 years after 20 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 21 shall complete research into the development of 22 motor vehicle safety standards for side impact pro- 23 tection, roof crush resistance, and air bag systems 24 for the protection of occupants for limousines with 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1529 IS alternative seating positions, including perimeter 1 seating arrangements. 2 (2) RULEMAKING OR REPORT.— 3 (A) CRASHWORTHINESS STANDARDS.— 4 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 5 years after the completion of the research 6 required under paragraph (1), except as 7 provided in clause (ii), the Secretary shall 8 prescribe a final motor vehicle safety 9 standard, for the protection of occupants 10 in limousines with alternative seating posi- 11 tions, for each of the following: 12 (I) Side impact protection. 13 (II) Roof crush resistance. 14 (III) Air bag systems. 15 (ii) REQUIREMENTS AND CONSIDER- 16 ATIONS.—The Secretary may only pre- 17 scribe a motor vehicle safety standard de- 18 scribed in clause (i) if the Secretary deter- 19 mines that such standard meets the re- 20 quirements and considerations set forth in 21 subsections (a) and (b) of section 30111 of 22 title 49, United States Code. 23 (B) REPORT.—If the Secretary determines 24 that a standard described in subparagraph 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1529 IS (A)(i) does not meet the requirements and con- 1 siderations set forth in subsections (a) and (b) 2 of section 30111 of title 49, United States 3 Code, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal 4 Register and submit to the Committee on En- 5 ergy and Commerce of the House of Represent- 6 atives and the Committee on Commerce, 7 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a re- 8 port describing the reasons for not prescribing 9 such standard. 10 (e) LIMOUSINE EVACUATION.— 11 (1) RESEARCH.—Not later than 2 years after 12 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 13 shall complete research into safety features and 14 standards that aid evacuation in the event that one 15 exit in the passenger compartment of a limousine is 16 blocked. 17 (2) STANDARDS.—Not later than 3 years after 18 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 19 shall prescribe a final motor vehicle safety standard 20 based on the results of the research under para- 21 graph (1). 22 (f) LIMOUSINE INSPECTION DISCLOSURE.— 23 (1) IN GENERAL.—A limousine operator may 24 not introduce a limousine into interstate commerce 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1529 IS unless the limousine operator has prominently dis- 1 closed in a clear and conspicuous notice, including 2 on the website of the operator if the operator has a 3 website, the following: 4 (A) The date of the most recent inspection 5 of the limousine required under State or Fed- 6 eral law. 7 (B) The results of the inspection. 8 (C) Any corrective action taken by the lim- 9 ousine operator to ensure the limousine passed 10 inspection. 11 (2) FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ENFORCE- 12 MENT.—The Federal Trade Commission shall en- 13 force this subsection in the same manner, by the 14 same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, 15 and duties as though all applicable terms and provi- 16 sions of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 17 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into and made 18 a part of this subsection. Any person who violates 19 this subsection shall be subject to the penalties and 20 entitled to the privileges and immunities provided in 21 the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et 22 seq.). 23 (3) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this sub- 24 section shall be construed to limit the authority of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1529.IS S1529 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1529 IS the Federal Trade Commission under any other pro- 1 vision of law. 2 (4) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall 3 take effect 180 days after the date of the enactment 4 of this Act. 5 (g) EVENT DATA RECORDERS FOR LIMOUSINES.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 7 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 8 shall prescribe a final motor vehicle safety standard 9 requiring the use of event data recorders for lim- 10 ousines. 11 (2) PRIVACY PROTECTIONS.—Any standard pre- 12 scribed under paragraph (1) pertaining to event data 13 recorder information shall be consistent with the col- 14 lection and sharing requirements under the FAST 15 Act (Public Law 114–94) and any other applicable 16 law. 17 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi- 18 nitions apply: 19 (1) EVENT DATA RECORDER.—The term ‘‘event 20 data recorder’’ has the meaning given such term in 21 section 563.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regula- 22 tions (or any successor regulation). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 May 26, 2 [Text truncated for display. 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