Bill · H.R. 7428· House(119-HR-7428)
SECURES Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 2/9/2026
- Last activity
- 2/10/2026 — Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
- Sponsored by
- Josh Gottheimer
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "SECURES Act of 2026," directs the Secretary of Transportation to take action regarding school bus safety. It requires the publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking within 180 days of the Act's enactment. This notice must focus on new Federal standards for seat belt requirements on all new school buses, regardless of their gross vehicle weight rating. The Secretary is instructed to consider various safety benefits and technological innovations during this process.
Yes· 3 of 5
Would children be better off under this?+8
The legislation mandates the consideration of improved seat belt standards to ensure higher safety levels for children riding school buses.
Would students be better off under this?+8
Students benefit directly from proposed rules requiring enhanced seat belt safety equipment on school buses.
Does this improve buses, trains and other public transport?+6
It enhances passenger transportation safety standards specifically for school buses.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Safety Standards: The Secretary must consider the safety benefits of a lap/shoulder belt system, which the National Transportation Safety Board notes provides a greater benefit by reducing injuries related to upper body flailing (Section 2(b)(1) and (2)).
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Standardized Protection: The rulemaking process considers the goal that every child on every school bus should have a three-point seat belt (Section 2(b)(3)).
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Technological Safety Enhancements: The bill encourages looking into innovative approaches such as seat belt detection, reminder systems, and violation alert systems to be included in school bus designs (Section 2(b)(4)).
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Incorporation of Proven Methods: The process includes considering existing experience from States that have already required school buses to be equipped with seat belts (Section 2(b)(5)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Children+8Good For Students+8
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Public Transit+6Improves Roads And Bridges+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Increases Federal Power+3
- 2/11/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 2/10/2026
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
- 2/9/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Michael LawlerRepublican · New York
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia