[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8349 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8349
To establish the position of National Roadway Safety Advocate within
the Department of Transportation, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 10, 2024
Mr. Cohen introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the position of National Roadway Safety Advocate within
the Department of Transportation, and for other purposes.
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 ``DOT Victim and Survivor Advocate
Act''.
SEC. 2. POSITION OF NATIONAL ROADWAY SAFETY ADVOCATE.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Transportation.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Transportation.
(3) Stakeholder.--
(A) In general.--The term ``stakeholder'' means--
(i) a victim or survivor of a road crash;
and
(ii) a family member of a victim or
survivor of a road crash.
(B) Family member.--For purposes of subparagraph
(A)(ii), the term ``family member'' shall not be
limited to a parent, parent-in-law, grandparent,
grandparent-in-law, sibling, spouse, child, or step-
child of a victim or survivor of a road crash.
(b) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish within the
Office of the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy of
the Department a position, to be known as the ``National
Roadway Safety Advocate''.
(2) Career position.--The position of National Roadway
Safety Advocate shall be filled by a career appointment.
(c) Purposes of the Position.--The purposes of the position of the
National Roadway Safety Advocate are--
(1) to document and communicate recommendations from
stakeholders to the Secretary on needs, objectives, plans,
approaches, content, and accomplishments of the programs and
activities carried out by the Department relating to roadway
safety; and
(2) to serve as a resource and point of contact for
stakeholders on relevant roadway safety issues.
(d) Authority and Limitations.--
(1) Authority.--The National Roadway Safety Advocate may--
(A) provide--
(i) education on Department activities to
stakeholders; and
(ii) means for stakeholders to provide the
perspective of the stakeholders on roadway
safety issues to the Department;
(B) explain Department processes, procedures,
scientific principles, and technical information to
victims of roadway safety incidents and advocates in
plain language;
(C) communicate the perspective of stakeholders
within Department processes;
(D) provide aggregated feedback on the regulatory
agenda and activities of the Department from
stakeholders to the Secretary;
(E) build relationships with individual
stakeholders, through establishing consistent outreach
and dialogue for feedback, to enhance the engagement in
the mission of the Department;
(F) publish educational materials for enhancing
stakeholder understanding of activities and procedures
of the Department in accessible formats and venues,
with clear and easy to understand wording, consistent
with Department policy, in multiple languages;
(G) consult with and make recommendations to the
Secretary relating to the appointment of stakeholders
who may be appropriate for roles in advisory roadway
safety committees, in accordance with chapter 10 of
title 5, United States Code;
(H) meet not less frequently than once per quarter
with the Secretary to highlight issues, make
recommendations for resolving problems and alleviating
stakeholder roadway safety concerns, and summarize
input from stakeholders on proposed roadway safety
initiatives;
(I) refer questions to the Office of the General
Counsel or the Office of the Under Secretary of
Transportation for Policy, as appropriate;
(J) work collaboratively with other offices in the
Department that are working to educate and communicate
with stakeholders on roadway safety issues; and
(K) perform such other duties as may be determined
by the Secretary.
(2) Limitations.--The National Roadway Safety Advocate may
not--
(A) provide legal notice, counsel, or
determinations of any kind;
(B) set or delay any agency deadlines;
(C) make Department decisions;
(D) create or authorize Department policies,
priorities, or activities;
(E) modify or interfere with any laws, regulations,
related policies, practices, or procedures followed or
enforced by the Department;
(F) prevent other Department staff from working
directly with stakeholders;
(G) disclose or discuss any enforcement matters
that are under investigation, in litigation, or the
subject of a civil penalty investigation or any other
pre-litigation or litigation proceeding; or
(H) disclose or discuss any human resource matters
with individuals outside of the Department.
(e) Report to Office of the Under Secretary of Transportation for
Policy.--The National Roadway Safety Advocate shall report within the
Office of the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy of the
Department.
(f) Support.--The Office of the Under Secretary of Transportation
for Policy of the Department shall provide necessary funding,
logistics, and administrative support to the National Roadway Safety
Advocate as necessary.
(g) Access to Documents.--The Department shall ensure that the
National Roadway Safety Advocate has full and timely access to the
documents of the Department, as necessary, to carry out the functions
of the National Roadway Safety Advocate.
(h) Reports Required.--
(1) Annual report.--Not later than November 15 of each
year, the National Roadway Safety Advocate shall submit to the
Secretary an annual report--
(A) highlighting systemic issues relating to
roadway safety based on information provided by
stakeholders; and
(B) making recommendations on how to remedy the
issues highlighted under subparagraph (A).
(2) Additional reports.--In addition to the annual report
required under paragraph (1), the National Roadway Safety
Advocate may submit to the Secretary such additional reports,
as determined necessary by the National Roadway Safety
Advocate, in accordance with the requirements of that
paragraph.
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