Bill Summary & Status for the 107th Congress

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S.2950
Title: A bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize appropriations for the National Transportation Safety Board for fiscal years 2003, 2004, and 2005, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Hollings, Ernest F. [SC] (introduced 9/17/2002)      Cosponsors: 5
Related Bills: H.R.4466
Latest Major Action: 10/10/2002 Senate preparation for floor. Status: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 699.
Jump to: Titles, Status, Committees, Related Bill Details, Amendments, Cosponsors, Summary
TITLE(S):  (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)
STATUS: (color indicates Senate actions)
9/17/2002:
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
9/19/2002:
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
10/10/2002:
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Hollings with amendments. With written report No. 107-311.
10/10/2002:
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 699.
COMMITTEE(S):
RELATED BILL DETAILS:  (additional related bills may be indentified in Status)

AMENDMENT(S):

***NONE***

COSPONSORS(5), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date)

Sen Breaux, John B. - 9/17/2002 [LA] Sen Hutchison, Kay Bailey - 9/17/2002 [TX]
Sen McCain, John - 9/17/2002 [AZ] Sen Rockefeller, Jay - 9/17/2002 [WV]
Sen Smith, Gordon - 9/17/2002 [OR]

SUMMARY AS OF:
10/10/2002--Reported to Senate, amended.    (There is 1 other summary)

Title I: NTSB Authorization - National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2002 - (Sec. 102) Amends Federal transportation law to reauthorize appropriations for FY 2003 through 2005 for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Authorizes appropriations necessary to increase the NTSB emergency fund to, and maintain it at, a level not to exceed $3 million (such amount available for NTSB expenses for accident investigations).

Authorizes appropriations for FY 2003 through 2005 for the NTSB for necessary expenses of the NTSB Academy. Authorizes the NTSB to impose and collect a fee as an offsetting collection for NTSB Academy services.

Directs the NTSB to report annually to Congress on NTSB Academy activities and operations.

(Sec. 103) Requires the NTSB, in cases where it has relinquished investigative priority with respect to an aircraft accident or a railroad accident, to assist the agency to which it has relinquished such priority in assisting families with respect to the accident.

Requires the NTSB and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to revise their 1977 agreement on the investigation of accidents to take into account the amendments made by this section and to submit a copy of the revised agreement to specified congressional committees.

(Sec. 104) Authorizes the NTSB, with respect to its duties to investigate transportation-related accidents, to enter into contracts without regard to laws requiring a competitive bid process if it is necessary to expedite an investigation. Requires the NTSB, as a component of its annual report to Congress, to include an enumeration of each contract for $25,000 or more executed during the preceding calendar year.

Title II: Child Passenger Safety - Anton's Law - (Sec. 202) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish certain performance requirements for child restraints, including booster seats, for the restraint of children weighing more than 50 pounds.

(Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the current schedule and status of Department of Transportation activities to develop, evaluate, and certify a commercially available dummy that simulates a ten-year old child for use in testing the effectiveness of child restraints used in passenger motor vehicles.

(Sec. 204) Directs the Secretary to complete a rulemaking proceeding to amend certain Code of Federal Regulations motor vehicle safety standards relating to occupant crash protection in order to: (1) require a lap and shoulder belt assembly for each rear designated seating position in a passenger motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less (except that if the Secretary determines that installation of a lap and shoulder belt assembly is not practicable for a particular position in a particular type of passenger motor vehicle, then the Secretary may exclude such position from the requirement); and (2) apply such requirement to passenger motor vehicles in a certain phase-in schedule. Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees if installation of a lap and shoulder belt assembly is not practicable for a particular designated seating position in a particular type of motor vehicle.

(Sec. 205) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to extend the child passenger protection education grants program for a two-year period.

(Sec. 206) Amends Federal highway law to direct the Secretary to: (1) establish appropriate criteria applicable to child restraint laws for purposes of eligibility for grants on improving child passenger safety programs for children under the age of 16 years; and (2) make such grants to each State and Indian tribe that has a child restraint law in effect as of September 30, 2004. Sets forth certain grant requirements.

(Sec. 208) Authorizes appropriations.