Bill · S. 828· Senate(119-S-828)
School Bus Safety Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 3/4/2025
- Last activity
- 3/4/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- Tammy Duckworth
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The School Bus Safety Act of 2025 directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue new safety rules for school buses. These rules include requirements for 3-point safety belts in buses over 10,000 pounds. The bill also mandates fire suppression systems, improved firewalls, and stricter standards for interior flammability and smoke emissions. Additionally, the Secretary must require automatic emergency braking systems, event data recorders, and electronic stability control. Finally, the act calls for increased training for bus operators and the creation of a grant program to help local agencies afford these safety upgrades.
Yes
Would children be better off under this?+8
The bill mandates enhanced safety features like 3-point belts, fire suppression, and automatic braking to protect children on school buses.
Would students be better off under this?+7
The bill directly improves the safety and security of students while they are commuting to and from school.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+5
The grant program helps local educational agencies afford safety upgrades which can reduce the financial burden on local school districts.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Passenger Safety via Restraints: The bill requires school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds to have 3-point safety belts at each designated seating position (Section 3(a)).
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Improved Fire Protection: New rules would require school buses to have fire suppression systems to address engine fires (Section 3(b)(1)(A)).
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Prevention of Fire and Gas Exposure: The bill requires firewalls to ensure that hazardous gas or flames cannot pass from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment (Section s3(b)(2)(A)).
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Reduced Smoke and Flammability Risks: The Secretary is directed to adopt performance standards for interior flammability and smoke emissions that are more rigorous than current standards for passenger cars or locomotive cabs (Section 3(b)(3)).
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Enhanced Crash Avoidance: The bill mandates the inclusion of automatic emergency braking systems, event data recorders, and electronic stability control systems (Section 3(c)(1)).
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Higher Driver Standards: The act requires not less than 8 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction on public roads with a trained instructor for school bus operators (Section 3(c)(2)).
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Financial Assistance for Safety Upgrades: A grant program will be established to help States and local educational agencies purchase new buses with these safety features or modify their existing fleets (Section 5(a)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts or burdens are explicitly listed 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+7Good For Low Income Households+5
- 7/13/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/4/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Introduced in Senate
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.
Raphael WarnockDemocrat · Georgia