WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEWS10) — Representatives Paul Tonko and Antonio Delgado will host a telephone press conference call with the families of the victims of the Schoharie limousine crash ahead of a reform bill vote Wednesday afternoon.
The discussion on the limousine safety reforms will take place at 12:30 p.m. The reforms will be included as part of a major infrastructure bill.
The following are the reforms that will be discussed in the call:
- Take Unsafe Limos Off the Road Act (sponsored by Tonko), 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 (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 Delgado), reclassifies 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.
