“The Vehicle Safety Improvement Act provides a meaningful response to this year's motor vehicle recalls, which exposed far too many shortcomings in federal oversight of the safety of our roads,” Mr. Waxman said in a statement. “The bill empowers consumers and holds auto manufacturers accountable for illegal behavior that all too often leads to tragedy.”
The Vehicle Safety Improvement Act builds on a similar proposal made by Mr. Waxman in April, one of several bills to be introduced this year following GM's ignition switch recalls.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced a bill last month that would double NHTSA's funding, remove the $35 million cap on civil penalties for companies that violate auto safety laws, and make auto executives face life in prison for delaying recalls that result in deaths.
A May proposal by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Mass., Edward Markey, D-Mass. and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., also sought to eliminate the $35 million fine cap. A bill introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., in June would give NHTSA more funding and the power to order dangerous vehicles off the road.
In April, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx asked Congress to hike the maximum civil penalty for a violation of U.S. auto safety laws more than eightfold to $300 million to push auto makers to more quickly issue safety recalls.
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This report appeared on autonews.com, the website of Automotive News, a Detroit-based sister publication of Tire Business.