Bill · S. 4874· Senate(119-S-4874)
Tristan's Law
- Introduced
- 6/23/2026
- Last activity
- 6/23/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- Richard Blumenthal
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as "Tristan's Law," aims to improve the safety of children who buy food from frozen dessert trucks. It seeks to amend title 23 of the United States Code to address specific hazards, such as trucks obscuring a child's visibility to drivers. The legislation directs the Secretary to award grants to States that implement laws requiring these trucks to carry specific safety equipment. Required equipment includes signal lamps, a stop signal arm, a convex mirror, and a front crossing arm. Additionally, the bill mandates a study on pedestrian injuries and fatalities related to these trucks.
Yes
Would children be better off under this?+9
The bill focuses on reducing safety threats to children who interact with frozen dessert trucks.
Does this repair or build roads and bridges?+2
The bill allocates federal funds to states for implementing safety laws related to vehicle operations on highways.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+1
The bill requires the Secretary to submit a report on pedestrian injuries and fatalities to Congress.
The opposite
Would business owners be better off under this?-4
The bill creates new regulatory requirements and equipment standards that increase operating costs for food truck owners.
Does this make it easier to run a small business?-3
The bill imposes specific and mandatory equipment costs on frozen dessert truck operators through state laws.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Safety for Children: The bill seeks to reduce safety threats to children who may pay little attention to traffic or be hidden from driver visibility by the truck (Section 2(a)).
-
State Grant Funding for Safety Laws: States that adopt and implement laws to increase the safety of frozen dessert truck patrons can receive an allocation of 1 percent of the funds provided under section s 405 (Section 2(b)(1)(A)).
-
Improved Driver Visibility and Awareness: The requirement for specific equipment, such as signal lamps that display flashing red lights and a stop signal arm with specific lettering, is intended to reduce safety threats (Section 2(a)(6) and Section 2(b)(2)(3)).
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Enhanced Operator Awareness: The requirement for a convex mirror is intended to ensure the truck operator can see the area in front of the vehicle that would otherwise be obscured by the hood (Section 2(b)(2)(3)(C)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Mandated Equipment Requirements: States implementing these laws would require frozen dessert trucks to be equipped with specific items, including signal lamps, a stop signal arm, a convex mirror, and a front crossing arm (Section 2(b)(2)(3)).
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Specific Equipment Standards: The bill dictates very specific measurements and descriptions for equipment, such as the exact dimensions of the stop signal arm and the diameter of the signal lamps (Section 2(b)(2)(3)(A) and (B)).
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+9Good For Business Owners-4
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Small Business Support-3
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Roads And Bridges+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+1
- 6/23/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.