Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats Act” or the “HOT CARS Act of 2016”.
Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats Act
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring all new passenger motor vehicles to be equipped with a child safety alert system, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Child safety alert system rulemaking
Rule required— Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a final rule requiring all new passenger motor vehicles be equipped with technology to provide an alert that a child or unattended passenger remains in a rear seating position after the vehicle motor is deactivated.
Effective date of rule— The regulation issued by the Secretary under this section shall take effect 1 year after the date of the publication of the final rule.
Report to congress— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives on the feasibility of retrofitting existing passenger motor vehicles with technology to provide an alert that a child or unattended passenger remains in a rear seating position after the vehicle motor is deactivated.
Definitions— In this section:
Alert— The term alert means a signal that may be auditory or visual (or both) that will provide an effective warning to the driver of the passenger motor vehicle that a child or unattended passenger remains in a rear seating position after the vehicle motor is deactivated.
Passenger motor vehicle— The term passenger motor vehicle has the meaning given that term in section 32101 of title 49, United States Code.
Rear seating position— The term rear seating position means any designated seating position that is rearward of the front seat.
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Transportation.