Summary of the SECURES Act of 2026

Main Purpose and Intent

The SECURES Act of 2026 (S. 3806) requires the Secretary of Transportation to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish new federal standards for seat belts on all new school buses, regardless of the vehicle's gross weight rating.

Key Provisions

• Requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking within 180 days of the bill's enactment.
• In the proposed rulemaking, the Secretary must consider:
  1. The safety benefits of lap/shoulder belt systems ("Type 2 seat belt assemblies")
  2. The National Transportation Safety Board's conclusion that lap/shoulder belts provide the highest level of protection for school bus passengers
  3. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's view that every child on every school bus should have a three-point seat belt
  4. Innovative approaches to seat belt detection, reminder systems, and violation alert systems
  5. Existing experience from states that have already required seat belts on school buses

Affected Parties

• School bus manufacturers and operators would need to comply with any new federal seat belt standards proposed and finalized by the Department of Transportation.
• Students riding school buses would be affected by the potential safety improvements from the required use of seat belts.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

• The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking within 180 days of the bill's enactment.
• The proposed rulemaking must consider several specific factors related to school bus seat belt safety.
• After the notice of proposed rulemaking, the Department of Transportation would need to go through the standard federal rulemaking process to finalize any new seat belt requirements for school buses.