CAR SEAT Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The CAR SEAT Act requires the Secretary of Transportation, within one year, to run an education campaign about the dangers of counterfeit or noncompliant child restraint systems. The campaign must cover car seats and booster seats that fail federal safety standards and teach consumers how to identify and avoid them. The bill authorizes $1.5 million for the campaign, available until spent.
The bill also amends the federal highway-safety program statute so state programs may conduct public information and education activities about unsafe counterfeit or noncompliant child restraints and methods for recognizing them, including outreach connected to underserved populations.
Who Benefits and How
Parents and caregivers purchasing car seats benefit from information for recognizing products that do not meet federal standards. Children using restraint systems benefit from lower exposure to counterfeit or unsafe seats. Compliant child-restraint manufacturers and retailers may benefit when consumers can distinguish standards-compliant products. State highway-safety offices gain explicit authority to include this subject in federally supported education activities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Transportation Department and highway-safety campaign staff must create and distribute consumer education within one year. State highway-safety offices that use the expanded authority must design and deliver outreach. Federal transportation appropriations bear the $1.5 million campaign authorization. Sellers of counterfeit or noncompliant child restraints may lose sales as consumers become better able to identify their products.
Key Provisions
- Requires a federal education campaign within one year.
- Covers counterfeit and noncompliant car seats and booster seats.
- Focuses on products that fail federal child-restraint safety standards.
- Requires practical information on identifying and avoiding unsafe products.
- Authorizes $1.5 million, available until expended.
- Expands state highway-safety program authority to conduct related public education.
- Includes education activities associated with underserved populations.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Funds a federal education campaign on counterfeit or noncompliant child car seats and expands state highway-safety program authority to conduct public education on identifying and avoiding those products.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation Safety, Consumer Products, Child Safety, Public Education, Federal Highway Grants
Primary Purpose
Funds a federal education campaign on counterfeit or noncompliant child car seats and expands state highway-safety program authority to conduct public education on identifying and avoiding those products.
Policy Domains
Sections 2 and 3 child-restraint safety education
Identified Gains
- Parents purchasing child restraints
- Children using child restraints
- Compliant child-restraint manufacturers
- Compliant child-restraint retailers
- State highway-safety offices
Identified Costs
- DOT child-restraint campaign staff
- State highway-safety outreach staff
- Federal transportation appropriations accounts
- Counterfeit child-restraint sellers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in …
Introduced in House
Ms. Gillen (for herself and Ms. King-Hinds) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Children using child restraints, Compliant child-restraint manufacturers, Counterfeit child-restraint sellers
Positive-direction: Children using child restraints, Compliant child-restraint manufacturers, Parents purchasing child restraints, Underserved caregivers purchasing child restraints
Negative-direction: Counterfeit child-restraint sellers
State highway-safety offices, State highway-safety outreach staff
DOT child-restraint campaign staff, Federal transportation appropriations accounts
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "consumer"
- → Parent or caregiver selecting a child restraint system
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
- "state_highway_safety_program"
- → State program operating under title 23 section 402
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A car seat or booster seat that does not meet federal safety standards in 49 C.F.R. sections 571.213 or 571.213b.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology