November 12, 2021
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Families of limo crash victims, Tonko tout law that closes safety loopholes - Albany Times Union

U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko announces limousine reform legislation following the tragic 2018 Schoharie limo crash that claimed 20 on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, during a press conference at City Hall in Amsterdam, N.Y. The infrastructure legislation included provisions from Tonko?•s SAFE Limos Act (Safety, Accountability, and Federal Enforcement of Limos Act of 2021) and the Take Unsafe Limos Off the Road Act, which were supported by U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko announces limousine reform legislation following the tragic 2018 Schoharie limo crash that claimed 20 on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, during a press conference at City Hall in Amsterdam, N.Y. The infrastructure legislation included provisions from Tonko?•s SAFE Limos Act (Safety, Accountability, and Federal Enforcement of Limos Act of 2021) and the Take Unsafe Limos Off the Road Act, which were supported by U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko stood with parents of the victims of the 2018 limousine crash in Schoharie on Friday morning at Amsterdam City Hall to announce that their yearslong effort to pass federal limo safety legislation was finally a success — with President Joe Biden prepared to sign it into law Monday as part of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

The legislation, which was also championed by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and others, seeks to close loopholes in federal vehicle safety standards that have allowed stretch limousines to be manufactured and operated virtually without federal oversight for decades.

While previous attempts to pass meaningful federal limo safety regulations failed, Tonko and the families said Friday that it was their telling of the painful tragedy to members of Congress and their staffs that made it become a reality.

The legislation will change federal law to include improvements survivors of the dead have advocated since soon after the Oct. 6, 2018, crash that killed 20 people in a parking lot next the Apple Barrel Cafe and Store at the intersection of Route 30 and Route 30A.

The federal government will establish a program to provide funding to allow states to impound unsafe vehicles. It will require new limousines to have lap and shoulder belts that meet minimum safety requirements for each seat in the car. The legislation also requires the federal secretary of transportation to evaluate the feasibility of retrofitting exiting limos with lap and shoulder belts. Provisions also include the establishment of a federal limo inspection program.

“For more than three years we have carried these wounds,” Tonko, his voice cracking with emotion, said during the news conference.

“It has been a long journey. We kept our word to make meaningful change. They shared their stories time and time again.”



source: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Families-of-limo-crash-victims-Tonko-tout-law-16615712.php

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