WASHINGTON (NEWS10) – The U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Move Forward Act” Wednesday evening. The $1.5 Trillion package addresses infrastructure and transportation, including a number of federal limo regulations.
Congressman Paul Tonko and Rep. Antonio Delgado introduced a package of federal limousine safety reforms last year in Tonko’s hometown of Amsterdam with and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and with the support of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik on the one-year anniversary of the tragic limousine crash in Schoharie that took the lives of 20 people.
Limo Regulations:
- Take Unsafe Limos Off the Road Act, sponsored by Tonko, a subcommittee chair in the House Committee on Energy & Commerce, promotes funding to support states’ efforts to impound or immobilize vehicles that fail inspection for critical safety reasons. The act will incentivize states such as New York to take strong actions to keep unsafe limos that fail inspection off the road.
- Safe Limousines Act, also sponsored by Tonko, includes a full slate of new federal stretch limousine safety rules and standards for seatbelts, seat integrity, a federal definition for limousines and crash safety research
- End the Limo Loophole Act, sponsored by Rep. Antonio Delgado, a member of the House Committee on Transportation closes the “limousine loophole” by reclassifying vehicles used to carry nine or more passengers as commercial motor vehicles. Current law only classifies vehicles designed for 15 or more passengers in this way, allowing many limousines to operate under less rigorous standards.
