Motorcoach Bills in the 2011 Congress
And
Bus Uniform Standards and Enhanced Safety Act of 2011: House Bill HR 1390
The safety of campers and staff is the number one priority of every camp.
On 3/2/2011, The Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2011 was introduced in the House of Representatives (HR 873) by Rep. John Lewis (GA); and in the Senate (S 453) by Senator Sherrod Brown (OH). Senator Brown describes the purpose of the bill to “…strengthen tour bus safety and improve driver training.”
While designed for the motorcoach industry, there is language in the bill that appears to have unintentionally swept up other kinds of vehicles besides “motorcoaches”. We are working to get clarification about the language from the sponsors of the bills.
In question specifically is “Section 10 — Improved Testing for the Commercial Driver’s License Passenger Endorsement.” The section discusses when a driver would be required to have a Commercial Driver’s License:
“…in order to operate a commercial motor vehicle (as defined in *section 31301(4) of title 49, United States Code) and transport not less than 9 and not more than 15 passengers (including a driver) in interstate commerce…”
*And in section 31301 (4) the definition of a commercial motor vehicle includes “… is designed to transport at least 16 passengers including the driver.”
Thus the confusion. We will continue to seek clarity and to point out the unintended consequence we believe is contained here.
And, on 4/6/2011, The Bus Uniform Standards and Enhanced Safety Act of 2011 was introduced in the House of Representatives (HR 1390) by Rep. Bill Shuster (PA)
This bill is also designed for the motorcoach industry and is similar to S 453 and HR 873, however it does not contain the apparent unintended consequence which would potentially scoop up 9-15 passenger vans in the CDL requirement.
We will continue to monitor the bills and provide education on their potential impact on camps.
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