Volume 151, No. 86 covering the 1st Session of the 109th Congress (2005 - 2006) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S7378-S7379 on June 24, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Salazar, and Mr.
Kerry):
S. 1311. A bill to provide grants for use by rural local educational agencies in purchasing new school buses; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, many years ago, when I attended school in Searchlight, I walked to school. And when it was time for high school, I hitched a ride into a town forty miles away and had to stay with family during the week. There weren't many options back then. That was the transportation system in rural America: walk or hitchhike.
Now, of course, we have school buses to get children to school.
Unfortunately, rural school districts across America are strapped. They can't afford to buy newer, safer buses. And skyrocketing gas prices have only made the problem worse. As a result, many rural areas have no choice but to operate outdated, unsafe school buses for as long as they can pass inspection.
Last year, I met with the school superintendents in my State. While each district identified their own, unique challenge, they all had an urgent need for school buses. I was astonished to learn that the school buses in some rural Nevada counties travel a combined million miles in a single school year.
The superintendents asked for my help, and I want to help. And based on conversations with some of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I am pretty confident the need for newer and safer school buses is not unique to Nevada's rural school districts.
I am introducing legislation today that will help rural districts transport children to school in a way that is safe, affordable, and environmentally sound.
The ``Bus Utility and Safety in School Transportation Opportunity and Purchasing Act of 2005''--or BUS STOP--authorizes the Federal Government to provide $50,000,000 in grants on a competitive basis to rural local education agencies seeking Federal share assistance to purchase school buses. The Federal share will be 75 percent.
Some may wonder why we need such a program when the Environmental Protection Agency already has a cost-share grant program to help school districts purchase new buses powered by natural gas or other alternative fuels.
Unfortunately, most of the rural districts in my State, and, I would imagine, across the country cannot apply for these grants because they don't have the infrastructure in place to support this technology.
However, working in the spirit of clean air and healthy children, my bill will help rural school districts buy newer buses that are better for our air, and safer for our children.
There are many small, rural towns in America, like Searchlight, where the kids need our help. They deserve no less than safe. clean, economical buses to get them to school.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1311
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 ``Bus Utility and Safety in School Transportation Opportunity and Purchasing Act of 2005''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) school transportation issues remain a concern for parents, local educational agencies, lawmakers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Environmental Protection Agency;
(2) millions of children face potential future health problems because of exposure to noxious fumes emitted from older school buses;
(3) many rural local educational agencies are operating outdated, unsafe school buses that are failing inspection, resulting in a depletion of the school bus fleets of the local educational agencies; and
(4) many rural local educational agencies are unable to afford newer and safer buses.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to establish within the Department of Education a Federal cost-sharing program to assist rural local educational agencies with older, unsafe school bus fleets in purchasing newer, safer school buses.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Rural local educational agency.--The term ``rural local educational agency'' means a local educational agency, as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801), with respect to which--
(A) each county in which a school served by the local educational agency is located has a total population density of fewer than 10 persons per square mile;
(B) all schools served by the local educational agency are designated with a school locale code of 7 or 8, as determined by the Secretary of Education; or
(C) all schools served by the local educational agency have been designated, by official action taken by the legislature of the State in which the local educational agency is located, as rural schools for purposes relating to the provision of educational services to students in the State.
(2) School bus.--The term ``school bus'' means a vehicle the primary purpose of which is to transport students to and from school or school activities.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Education.
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--From amounts made available under subsection (e) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide grants, on a competitive basis, to rural local educational agencies to pay the Federal share of the cost of purchasing new school buses.
(b) Application.--
(1) In general.--Each rural local educational agency that seeks to receive a grant under this Act shall submit to the Secretary for approval an application at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information (in addition to information required under paragraph (2)) as the Secretary may require.
(2) Contents.--Each application submitted under paragraph
(1) shall include--
(A) documentation that, of the total number of school buses operated by the rural local educational agency, not less than 50 percent of the school buses are in need of repair or replacement;
(B) documentation of the number of miles that each school bus operated by the rural local educational agency traveled in the most recent 9-month academic year;
(C) documentation that the rural local educational agency is operating with a reduced fleet of school buses;
(D) a certification from the rural local educational agency that--
(i) authorizes the application of the rural local educational agency for a grant under this Act; and
(ii) describes the dedication of the rural local educational agency to school bus replacement programs and school transportation needs (including the number of new school buses needed by the rural local educational agency); and
(E) an assurance that the rural local educational agency will pay the non-Federal share of the cost of the purchase of new school buses under this Act from non-Federal sources.
(c) Priority.--
(1) In general.--In providing grants under this Act, the Secretary shall give priority to rural local educational agencies that, as determined by the Secretary--
(A) are transporting students in a bus manufactured before 1977;
(B) have a grossly depleted fleet of school buses; or
(C) serve a school that is required, under section 1116(b)(9) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6316(b)(9)), to provide transportation to students to enable the students to transfer to another public school served by the rural local educational agency.
(d) Payments; Federal Share.--
(1) Payments.--The Secretary shall pay to each rural local educational agency having an application approved under this section the Federal share described in paragraph (2) of the cost of purchasing such number of new school buses as is specified in the approved application.
(2) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of purchasing a new school bus under this Act shall be 75 percent.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
(2) such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011.
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