S. 4488

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4488 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4488

To amend title 23, United States Code, to include school bus route 
safety in the safe routes to school program, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 12, 2026

Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Mr. Young) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment 
and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend title 23, United States Code, to include school bus route 
safety in the safe routes to school program, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Safe Bus Routes to School Act''.

SEC. 2. SAFE BUS ROUTES TO SCHOOL.

(a) In General.--Section 208 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:
``(3) School bus route.--The term `school bus route' means 
a designated course regularly traveled by a school bus for to-
and-from transportation to pick up students and take them to 
school or to deliver students from school to their homes or to 
designated bus stops that are approved by the local education 
agency.'';
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' after the 
semicolon at the end;
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the 
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) to facilitate the planning, development, and 
implementation of projects and activities that will support 
safer school bus routes and stops.''; and
(3) in subsection (g)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A)--
(i) by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ``; and'';
(ii) by striking ``may be used for the 
planning'' and inserting the following: ``may 
be used for--
``(i) the planning''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) the planning, design, and 
construction of infrastructure-related projects 
that will substantially improve the ability of 
students to safely wait for and take a school 
bus to and from school, including sidewalk 
improvements, traffic calming and speed 
reduction improvements, pedestrian crossing 
improvements, waiting areas at bus stops, and 
traffic diversion improvements on a school bus 
route.''; and
(B) in paragraph (2)(A)--
(i) by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ``; and'';
(ii) by striking ``noninfrastructure-
related activities to encourage'' and inserting 
the following: ``noninfrastructure-related 
activities--
``(i) to encourage''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) to encourage safe school bus 
ridership, including public awareness campaigns 
and outreach to press and community leaders, 
traffic education and enforcement in the 
vicinity of school bus routes, and student 
sessions on school bus safety rules.''.
(b) Highway Safety Improvement Program.--Section 148(a) of title 
23, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (4)(B)--
(A) by redesignating clause (xxix) as clause (xxx);
(B) by inserting after clause (xxviii) the 
following:
``(xxix) Safe routes to school 
infrastructure-related projects described in 
section 208(g)(1).''; and
(C) in clause (xxx) (as redesignated), by striking 
``(xxviii)'' and inserting ``(xxix)''; and
(2) in paragraph (11)(B)(i), by inserting ``and school bus 
stop safety'' after ``road users''.
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