Bills · HR 7428
IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS
House BillHR 7428Transportation and Public Works
SECURES Act of 2026
INTRO FEB 9· LAST ACTION FEB 10
READING
2MIN
COSPONSORS
2BIPARTISAN
READER REACTIONS0 TOTAL
NO VOTES YET · BE THE FIRST
- Introduced only
LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS
STEP 2 / 8Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed House
Passed Senate
Conference
To President
Became Law
WHAT THE BILL DOES
AI-writtenThis bill matters because it addresses the ongoing debate about child safety on school buses. While school buses are generally considered very safe, crashes do occur, and proponents argue that seat belts could prevent injuries, especially in rollovers or side-impact collisions. If this bill becomes law, it kickstarts a process that could lead to federal mandates for seat belts on all new school buses, potentially making every ride safer for millions of students.
Without this bill, the Department of Transportation is not specifically required to propose these new federal standards. This means the decision to equip school buses with seat belts would remain primarily with individual states and local school districts, leading to a patchwork of regulations across the country. By requiring a federal rulemaking process, the bill aims to create a consistent, higher standard of safety for school transportation nationwide.
KEY PROVISIONS
4AI-extractedPROVISION 01
Requires the Secretary of Transportation to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking for new federal standards for school bus seat belt requirements.
This initiates the formal process for potentially establishing nationwide seat belt requirements on all new school buses.
PROVISION 02
The proposed rules must apply to all new school buses, regardless of their gross vehicle weight rating (size).
This ensures that smaller school buses, which may currently have different or no seat belt requirements, would be covered by the new standards.
PROVISION 03
Mandates that the Secretary consider the safety benefits of lap/shoulder belt systems (Type 2 seat belts) and expert recommendations.
This focuses the rulemaking on the most protective type of seat belt and incorporates existing safety research and expert opinions into the decision-making process.
PROVISION 04
Requires consideration of innovative seat belt detection, reminder, and violation alert systems, and experiences from states with existing seat belt requirements.
This encourages the adoption of modern technology to improve seat belt usage and effectiveness, while learning from real-world implementation.
SPONSORSHIP
1 + 2
D· New Jersey
YRS IN OFFICE
9
BILLS LED
93
COSPONSOR BREAKDOWNBIPARTISAN · 100%
DEM 1 REP 1 IND 0
ACTION TIMELINE
4 EVENTSFEB 10
Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
FEB 9
Introduced in House
FEB 9
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
FEB 9
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
BILL INFO
TypeHouse Bill
NumberHR 7428
Congress119th
StatusIn Committee
IntroducedFeb 9, 2026
Last actionFeb 10, 2026
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IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS · TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED FEB 9, 2026
House BillHR 7428Transportation and Public Works
SECURES Act of 2026
INTRODUCED FEB 9, 2026· LAST ACTION FEB 10, 2026
PASSAGE CHANCES
—%
READING
2 min
COSPONSORS
2
COMPLEXITY
Moderate
