BUSES Act
Bus Idling: New 15-Minute National Standard
The BUSES Act is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently sent to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for review. No further actions are scheduled at this time.
Legislative Progress
The bill has support from both parties, which helps its chances. However, many bills like this never make it out of committee for a full vote.
Key Points
- This bill would stop states and cities from punishing bus drivers for idling their engines if they are stopped for less than 15 minutes. It applies specifically to school buses and large travel buses that carry passengers between cities.
- The plan changes the Clean Air Act to make sure local rules cannot be stricter than this new 15-minute limit. This would help bus drivers who need to keep their engines running to maintain heat or air conditioning for passengers during short stops.
- The bill also bans bounty programs where private citizens get paid to report idling buses to the government. Any city that currently has one of these programs would have to shut it down within six months of the bill becoming law.
- People would no longer be allowed to sue bus companies or drivers for these short idling periods. This is meant to protect bus operators from expensive legal battles over minor stops.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
BUSES Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(1)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.