United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

S 828 — School Bus Safety Act of 2025

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 04, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

School Bus Safety Act of 2025This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue rules requiring school buses to have certain safety features. DOT must also establish a grant program to assist in the implementation of the requirements.Specifically, DOT must issue rules requiring school buses to includethree-point safety belts for all seats,a fire suppression system which addresses engine fires,a firewall between the engine and passenger compartment that prevents hazardous quantities of gas or flames from passing through the firewall,increased performance standards for interior flammability and smoke emissions,an automatic emergency braking system,an event data recorder, andan electronic stability control system.DOT must also require at least eight hours of behind-the-wheel training for school bus operators that meets specified requirements.Further, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must issue rules on the evaluation of safety sensitive personnel for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea.NHTSA must also study the benefits of requiring school buses manufactured in, or imported into, the United States to be equipped with a motion-activated detection system that is capable of detecting road users (e.g., pedestrians and bicyclists) and alerting the bus operator of their presence. NHTSA must issue rules implementing such a requirement.Finally, DOT must establish a grant program to assist local educational agencies in (1) purchasing school buses equipped with three-point safety belts or any of the other safety features required under this bill, and (2) modifying existing school buses.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety transportation education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 828 do?
School Bus Safety Act of 2025This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue rules requiring school buses to have certain safety features. DOT must also establish a grant program to assist in the implementation of the requirements.Specifically, DOT must issue rules requiring school buses to includethree-point safety belts for all seats,a fire suppression system which addresses engine fires,a firewall between the engine and passenger compartment that prevents hazardous quantities of gas or flames from passing through the firewall,increased performance standards for interior flammability and smoke emissions,an automatic emergency braking system,an event data recorder, andan electronic stability control system.DOT must also require at least eight hours of behind-the-wheel training for school bus operators that meets specified requirements.Further, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must issue rules on the evaluation of safety sensitive personnel for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea.NHTSA must also study the benefits of requiring school buses manufactured in, or imported into, the United States to be equipped with a motion-activated detection system that is capable of detecting road users (e.g., pedestrians and bicyclists) and alerting the bus operator of their presence. NHTSA must issue rules implementing such a requirement.Finally, DOT must establish a grant program to assist local educational agencies in (1) purchasing school buses equipped with three-point safety belts or any of the other safety features required under this bill, and (2) modifying existing school buses.
Who sponsors S 828?
S 828 is sponsored by Duckworth, Tammy (Democratic).
What is the current status of S 828?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 04, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 828?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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