Protecting Children on School Buses, Gottheimer Announces SECURES Act

Gottheimer, Menendez, Faso Take Action in Wake of Paramus Bus Accident

FAIR LAWN, N.J. — Today, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) announced the bipartisan Secure Every Child Under the Right Equipment Standards (SECURES) Act of 2018 at the Fair Lawn Board of Education Transportation Depot. The legislation, co-led by Republican John Faso (NY-19) with Senate companion legislation introduced by Senator Bob Menendez, would require that all school buses have three-point lap-and-shoulder seat belts and encourage innovative measures to ensure that students are actually wearing their seat belts while on school buses.

Building on the SECURES ACT, Congressman Gottheimer is writing to state and federal transportation officials at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, asking them to study and take immediate action to ensure that all bus drivers are qualified to drive our children.

“My kids could have been on that bus – and I can’t imagine what those families are going through. As a parent and as a Congressman, I’m announcing the SECURES Act to help ensure that every child in America is as safe as possible when they’re on the road,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5).

“We need to do everything we can to make sure children are safe, and parents have peace of mind, when they’re on a school bus,” said Sen. Menendez.  “The recent tragedy only underscores why it’s important to review and upgrade safety standards over time.  There was a time not too long ago when seat belts weren’t even required in cars, let alone school buses—but we owe it to our constituents to do everything in our power to improve the safety of our roadways.  It’s time to make our school buses safer so no family has to ever endure the heartbreak being felt in Paramus.”

A one-page summary of the SECURES Act is available HERE. Video of the announcement can be found HERE.