LegHist.PL89-563.Volume.ONE.Sec.Ten.and

I 6h8ll b€ hBppy to s"ns$er the Eentledra.n's
que$tlon lJ I Etrr sure I understmd
lt.
Mr. RIVER*E of South Cerollna.
I dd
not think that your blU protects the
Eing publlc lnsofar 6s elrlployes ere
cdncerned. If you glve eU the punishment
to the rnenu.faEturerB
the employeetand
none to
Mr. SPF,INGE,. Weu, mey I EeY thEt
ttrere ls e responslbility oD the pert of
tJre company, Ell the wsy down the line.
Now, you miFht h8ve ail elnplolree
down here who mlght tum out B defective
pltre of equlpment or a defectlve
eutomoblle uder the lenguage which we
put ln tlrls biU, but the mdpeny, collectlvely,
Is llBble. We do not exempt &ny
employe€ EpeclflcElly.
Mr. RIVER.S of South carolina.
well,
tey, a manufscturef lnsisied upon a p€lforlnaflce
on the Eteerlng wheel whlch
lhey compelled the employees to perfotm
a.nd they refued tn do lt
Is there any redress on the part ol the
Pulrlic?
Mr. SPRINGER. Mr. Chairmen. lf the
gentlemm will yield f urtlter, alo I under-
6tend tliat lf he ordered an emllloyee to
carry out a Edfety functlon which he tle-
Iteves wlll make his product sefe, snd
there ls e refusal on the part of the employee,
there ls no Punl""luent?
Mr. FtwmS of South CefollrrE. well,
they walk ofl the job. Ttre EbntlemEn
hbs heard of that, hs he noi?
MI, SPR,INGffi, Ye$.
Mr. RfVffis of South Cerollna. And
they do lt every day.
Mr. SFF.INGER. Yes, and you cen
flfle them.
Mr. RfVER.S oI gouth Carollne. However.
where hEs E menulacturer
redres?
got any
Mr. SPEINGER. Mr. Chslmen, lf tfie
Bentlemen will yield further, the only
redress he woultl have q'or:ld t,e to flre
Bn employee for negllgence, Bnd lf he
dld not follow the safety standards mt
up by ttre company, tt ls my understandllg,
uder altnct eny compmy rules or
under sny unlon tules, that you heve a
rlght to flre therh.
772
quajlty product becsus€ they drlve thera
theruelves.
Mr. RIVER^S of Eouth Catollna. I wlII
Eay that that hes not b€en my exp€rlenc€.
I rf'.3h they could heve been trlede to
drlve eome of the csr6 I hlve owned.
fr'HDXEM OI.EID bT ilN. SEE
Mr. SRALEY. Ml'. ghElrbnfl, I ofler
nn e.uendment,
Ttrs Clerk r€etl Es fttllows:
AstDdscnt otrered by Mr, cffi: OE
poge 3{, att€r llne II, lffirt tbe loUosln8 Dffi
Eubffitlon :
"(t) Ar ffin eB pr#tl€blE slt4r the data
ol eu*tfient ol tttrB tttle, the B+cret4ry rh8ll
establlrh trbderal Eotdr vcblcli Blety sbndsds
requlrtng that eYGry mottr geblcle uEd
or to ts utd 8E a rch6lbu thBU be
Gqutpped at eadh p@D8tr eet lffitlou Ylth
E aeat l*It,"
Mr. SR.ALEY. Mr. Cbslffim, I EtrbU
only tske e lew rnlnutet on thls a,[re.Dd*
Eent-
Mr. chatrrren, I teel thst thls I'ruendment
ls s juEtlfiEble one.
Mr. Chelflflen, there has b€en Eucb
erapert testfunony Bnd statlsuc.s whlch
tr8ve bten oflered to prove thst seat belta
have been E tBctor |l1 Esfety ln prlvete
vehlcle.s, ln GovernEent vehldles, End ln
aIJr other vehlclc.
I thlnE lt ls fmllsh for u.s to wrlte
B plece of leglslatlon provldlng for mtlonel
Be.fety and not protect the welfere
ol ou chilalien who, irl my oplnlon, are
ou most ldpotteJrt, and vEluble s8Beta.
We h8ve rgqulred uleny sfety feetures
on Edhoolbuses, and I feel ttrat lt
ls proper snd fltting to reqr:Ire ln thls
leglslEtlon that &hmlbuses be equlpped
e$d requl]'eal to be €qulpped wlth 8€Bt
belts.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. CheimEn, lf,lll
Mr. RIUEF,S of South CerollnE. You
flre them aIId watch them Ue uP the
whole process. Everybody ln tJle coutry
knows thIB End everytrccly ln thls
HolH knows thlc.
MT. CEDERBENG. MT, ChAITMAN,
wlll the Bentleman yleld?
the gentlem&n yleld?
Mr. CRALEY,
lEn,
I yleld to the sentle-
Mr. DINGET.T,. Mr. Chairmm, do€6
ttre gentlemal's emendtrent requlre Ell
of these schoolbuses ta be equipped wlth
seet belt6, or
Mr. RrVER^S of South CeroIhE. I
yteld to the gentleman from MichlEan.
Mr. CEDER,Bffi,G, I tblnk lt would
b€ e mtstake to lnfer thst the employees
of the Butohoblle mEnufecturere would
ln any way try to turn out a product that
wEs hot s8.fe End up to the EtandErals ttlBt
the comp&ny requlres.
Mr. ChBlrmEn, ln the flr$t pld,ce' these
employeet drlve these car$ therelves.
Ttrelr own safety ls at stake.
I{r. ChalmBn, I belleve that the euto*
moblle msnuf0ctur€r Bnd the rcspon'
sible p€ople who rcpresent these eEployees
reooEinlft thet lt r$ ln thelr best
rntirest to tm aut a qulltv Ftoduot.
TheE art probably alway8 route thln88
thst ca$ happen. But, bY eJrd lErge,
ttrese employeee eft So|l1B to tum out a
jut newly EanuJactured
schoolbues?
Mr. CRALEIr. The Emendment rEqulres
tbat every motor vehicle used or
to be useal ffi a schoolbu5 be equipped
wtth ttre seat belts. ThiE would applv
td not orUy new ones, but to thoBe Echoolbuses
already ln ue.
Mr. DINGEI,L. Mny I ffik the SeEtlenm,
ttren, beceuse I ffi #e thBt the
tnt€rstate colnmerce powers of the Federal
Govement under the Constltutlon
wor:Id afiord S"pproprlat'e Euthorlty lot
tlealins wlth the questlorr of these vehlcles
thet sre to be sold ln lnterstate
corilnerce h the futue, but I rrould
llke to know under whbt power car the
gon.greB6 constitutionElly leglElete tJIe
use oI Eeat belts on sll schoolbuses, lncludlng
those whtch ere not sold or oper-
Eted ln |Ilterstate cotrrrhefce?
Mr, gfiAI-EY. I would Etate to tha
gentleEBn th8t I am not m attomey,
End I flould heve to bow to the gentlemm
on that, question. My fetllng le
that tJ the leglslEtlon lE pessetl lt wlll
be requlred, end woul(l be ha.nalatory
that ln ordet tor ttrese Eotor vehlcle.s
to operEt€, ttnt they would have to have
6€at b€Its.
VoI.I