HR0766 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0766 LRB096 15825 AJT 31067 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a division of the United States Department of Transportation, has a mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes, through education, research, safety standards, and enforcement; and

WHEREAS, The Office of Defects Investigation of the NHTSA is responsible for conducting defect investigations and administering safety recalls to support the NHTSA's mission to improve safety on the nation's highways; and

WHEREAS, An investigation by the Chicago Tribune in November 2009 concluded that as many as 2,000 school buses across the nation have potentially serious safety problems and are transporting students even though school bus equipment and parts manufacturers and the NHTSA have known about recalled equipment and parts for as many as eight years; and

WHEREAS, The federal recall process is lengthy and without suitable accountability and safety procedures to ensure that children travel in school buses that are safe and properly maintained; and

WHEREAS, Recall procedures for vehicles, such as school buses with faulty equipment or parts are a matter of public record as soon as a manufacturer officially files a recall notice; bus companies, however, are not required to review the recall list on the NHTSA website; and

WHEREAS, The NHTSA has not enforced timely recall efforts by manufacturers of faulty parts and equipment, nor does it have the responsibility to ensure the school bus owners are notified immediately of potential safety issues; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Transportation is the agency required by statute to conduct periodic, non-scheduled inspections of school buses in this State; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United States Department of Transportation to request NHTSA to evaluate the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation's procedural and administrative duties in relation to the promptness and effectiveness of manufacturer recalls; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Department of Transportation to review its procedures and duties to ensure that (1) school buses in Illinois are not being driven with recalled equipment and parts and (2) children being transported on school buses are safe; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Illinois congressional delegation, the Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation, and the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.