Commercial Driver's License Standards; School Bus Endorsement, 56589-56593 [05-19292]

Agencies

• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 187 (Wednesday, September 28, 2005)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 56589-56593]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-19292]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

49 CFR Parts 383 and 384

[Docket No. FMCSA-2005-21603]
RIN 2126-AA94


Commercial Driver's License Standards; School Bus Endorsement

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Interim final rule.

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SUMMARY: FMCSA amends the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations 
(FMCSRs) to specify that a driver who passed knowledge and skills tests 
approved by the Agency for a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) school 
bus endorsement prior to September 30, 2002, meets the requirements of 
49 CFR 383.123. FMCSA also amends the FMCSRs to provide that States 
have until September 30, 2006, to administer knowledge and skills tests 
that comply, to all school bus drivers. Finally, to conform with 
extension of the compliance date, the expiration date for allowing 
States to waive the driving skills test under 49 CFR 383.123(b) is 
extended to September 30, 2006. As a result of this interim rule, the 
2-year exemptions for drivers in 11 States from the knowledge and 
skills testing requirement proposed in the FMCSA notice published July 
14, 2005, are no longer necessary.

DATES: Effective September 28, 2005. Comments must be received by 
October 28, 2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT DMS Docket Number 
FMCSA-2005-21603 by any of the following methods:
     Web site: https://dms.dot.gov. Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments on the DOT electronic site.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the 
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,

[[Page 56590]]

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
Holidays.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number (FMCSA-2005-21603) or Regulatory Identification Number 
(RIN) for this rulemaking (RIN 2126-AA94). Note that all comments 
received will be posted without change to https://dms.dot.gov, including 
any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading 
for further information.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to https://dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room PL-
401 on the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal Holidays.
    Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000, (65 FR 19477) or you may visit https://dms.dot.gov.
    Comments received after the comment closing date will be included 
in the docket, and we will consider late comments to the extent 
practicable. FMCSA may, however, issue a final rule at any time after 
the close of the comment period.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael Lamm, Chief, State 
Programs Division (MC-ESS), Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration, 202-366-6830.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Legal Basis for Rulemaking

    The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 (CMVSA) (Pub. L. 9-
570) established the commercial driver's license (CDL) program and 
directed the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe regulations 
establishing minimum standards which States must meet when licensing 
drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), as defined in 49 U.S.C. 
31301.\1\ Sec. 12005 of the CMVSA directed that these regulations must, 
among other things, prescribe minimum standards for written and driving 
tests of an individual operating a CMV (see 49 U.S.C. 31305). The 
regulations governing minimum testing and fitness standards for 
obtaining a CDL are contained in 49 CFR part 383.
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    \1\ As pertinent to this rulemaking, a CMV is a motor vehicle 
used in commerce that is designed to transport at least 16 
passengers, including the driver. See 49 U.S.C. 31301(4)(B).
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    Section 214 of the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 
(MCSIA) (Pub. L. 106-159) directed the Secretary to establish, through 
rulemaking, a special CDL endorsement for drivers of school buses. At a 
minimum, this endorsement must include a driving skills test in a 
school bus, and address proper safety procedures for loading and 
unloading children, using emergency exits and traversing highway rail 
grade crossings (see 49 U.S.C. 31305 note). The regulations 
implementing section 214 of MCSIA are found at 49 CFR 383.123. As 
provided in 49 CFR 384.301, States must implement Sec.  383.123 no 
later than September 30, 2005.
    Section 4140(a) of the recently enacted Safe, Accountable, 
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users 
(SAFETEA-LU or the Act) (Pub. L. 10-59) requires the Secretary to ``* * 
* recognize any driver who passes a test approved by the Federal Motor 
Carrier Safety Administration as meeting the knowledge test requirement 
for a school bus endorsement under section 383.123 of title 49, Code of 
Federal Regulations.'' Because Sec.  383.123 requires a driver to pass 
both knowledge and skills tests, FMCSA interprets the Act to require 
the Secretary to recognize any driver who passes approved knowledge and 
skills tests. As discussed in greater detail later in this interim 
final rule, section 4140 was enacted in response to FMCSA's previous 
determination that a driver who passed a State's knowledge and skills 
tests before the September 30, 2002, effective date of Sec.  383.123, 
would not be in compliance with that section, even if the tests were 
compatible with the Federal standards. Section 4140(a) overrides 
FMCSA's determination and eliminates the need for States to retest 
drivers who passed State knowledge and skills tests before September 
30, 2002, that FMCSA determines are compatible with Sec.  383.123.
    Section 4140(b) of the Act was enacted in response to requests to 
Congress from interested parties, including the States, to extend the 
compliance date for meeting the Federal testing requirement from 
September 30, 2005, to September 30, 2006. Currently section 383.123(b) 
permits States to waive the driving skills test requirement for 
currently-licensed school bus drivers who meet certain conditions. 
However, this provision expires on September 30, 2005. Because this 
sunset date for waiving the skills tests is part of the testing 
provisions of Sec.  383.123, FMCSA interprets this section of the Act 
as also having extended the sunset date of Sec.  383.123(b) from 
September 30, 2005, to September 30, 2006.
    This interim final rule implements section 4140 of SAFETEA-LU. 
FMCSA issues this interim rule without prior notice and opportunity to 
comment under section 4 of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) [5 
U.S.C. 553(b)]. Section 4 of the APA allows the Agency to issue a final 
rule without notice and opportunity to comment when the agency, for 
good cause, finds that notice and comment procedures are 
``impracticable, unnecessary or contrary to the public interest.'' 
Prior notice and opportunity to comment are impracticable for this 
interim final rule because Congress directed, in section 4140, that 
States be given until September 30, 2006, to comply with 49 CFR 
383.123, rather than September 30, 2005. Therefore, it is necessary to 
implement the regulatory changes required by section 4140 before 
October 1, 2005, to specify that States have an additional year to 
comply with Sec.  383.123. Because of the need for expedited action, 
FMCSA finds that providing prior notice and opportunity for public 
comment under 5 U.S.C. 553(b) is impracticable and contrary to the 
public interest. Furthermore, because the regulatory changes made by 
this rule must take effect by no later than September 30, 2005, FMCSA 
finds there is good cause to make this rule effective upon publication, 
in accordance with APA provisions found at 5 U.S.C. 553(d).

Background

    MCSIA included 17 new provisions aimed at improving the overall 
effectiveness of the CDL program. Section 214 of MCSIA, codified at 49 
U.S.C. 31311(a), directed FMCSA to establish a special CDL endorsement 
for drivers of school buses. The endorsement is to, at a minimum, 
include:
    1. A driving skills test conducted in a school bus; and
    2. A knowledge test that addresses proper safety procedures for--
    a. Loading and unloading children;
    b. Using emergency exits; and
    c. Traversing highway rail grade crossings.
    A final rule implementing most of the MCSIA provisions, including 
the school bus endorsement, was published on July

[[Page 56591]]

31, 2002, [67 FR 49742] and became effective on September 30, 2002.
    Under 49 CFR 384.301(b), States were allowed up to 3 years after 
the effective date of the regulation to implement the new CDL 
requirements. Thus, by September 30, 2005, each State was required to 
pass enabling legislation or issue regulations, as necessary, and begin 
enforcing the new provisions, including the school bus (``S'') 
endorsement. States that failed to meet the deadline would be 
considered ``not in substantial compliance'' with 49 U.S.C. 31311(a) 
and subject to the loss of highway grant funds, in accordance with 49 
CFR part 384, subpart D.
    FMCSA worked with States to determine whether their tests would be 
in compliance with the new school bus endorsement requirement. An 
example of these efforts is documented by the October 22, 2004, letter 
to Ohio approving its CDL school bus tests as meeting the requirements 
of Sec.  383.123. The letter clearly points out that FMCSA approval 
applies only to drivers who took the tests on or after September 30, 
2002. A copy of the letter to Ohio is in the docket for this 
rulemaking.
    At the annual American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators 
(AAMVA)/FMCSA co-sponsored meeting for CDL coordinators from all 
States, held in December 2004, FMCSA was asked to explain more details 
about the school bus endorsement requirement. FMCSA explained that 
because Sec.  383.123 sets current and future requirements, tests 
administered before the rule took effect could not be recognized as 
complying with the rule. Therefore, every current school bus driver was 
required to take and pass the tests required by Sec.  383.123 on or 
after September 30, 2002. Drivers who passed otherwise compatible State 
tests before September 30, 2002, would have to be retested before 
September 30, 2005, if the States were to remain in substantial 
compliance under 49 CFR part 384.
    Subsequently, Ohio wrote to FMCSA expressing its disagreement with 
FMCSA's position that only school bus drivers who had passed the 
State's FMCSA approved test on or after September 30, 2002, could be 
issued an ``S'' endorsement. Ohio was unhappy about the costs 
associated with retesting drivers who had passed an approved test, 
particularly because it did not see how the retesting requirement 
contributed to safety. A copy of Ohio's letter to FMCSA is in the 
docket for this rulemaking. Other States also advised FMCSA that they 
needed an alternative to reduce the near-term burden on those States 
that previously administered compatible knowledge and skills tests to 
drivers, and who did not require such drivers to retake the knowledge 
and skills tests for the school bus endorsement when they last renewed 
their CDLs.
    Two separate actions were initiated to mitigate the potential 
adverse impact on school bus operations for the fall of 2005. First, 
based on expressions from State representatives at the AAMVA meeting, 
the letter from Ohio and similar expressions from other States, FMCSA 
began a process to grant 2-year exemptions from testing requirements 
for school bus drivers who had passed tests compatible with FMCSA's 
requirements before September 30, 2002. Second, several interested 
parties, including the States, the National Education Association, and 
the school bus transportation industry requested Congress to grant 
authority for FMCSA to accept certain tests administered prior to 
September 30, 2002, and to extend the September 30, 2005, compliance 
date for issuing school bus CDL endorsements for all States, as part of 
the transportation reauthorization bill (subsequently SAFETEA-LU).
    FMCSA initiated its effort to offer 2-year exemptions to drivers 
through a memorandum to all FMCSA Division Administrators, dated March 
25, 2005, signed by William Paden, Associate Administrator for 
Enforcement and Program Delivery. That memorandum and the FMCSA 
response to Ohio based on this initiative are in the docket for this 
rulemaking.
    Each Division Administrator was to notify his or her State that the 
State could apply on behalf of its drivers for 2-year exemptions from 
the retesting requirement. If the State wished to do so, it was to 
submit copies of its tests administered before September 30, 2002, 
including what was the minimum allowed passing test score. FMCSA would 
review the tests and determine whether the tests were compatible. A 
determination of whether exemptions would be granted to the drivers 
would be made according to the procedures of Part 381, Subpart C--
Procedures for Applying for Exemptions. Sixteen States responded to 
that announcement.
    Tests submitted by three States were not deemed to meet the new 
requirements of Sec.  383.123, and two States withdrew their tests from 
consideration. Thus, tests for school bus drivers that were 
administered by 11 States prior to September 30, 2002, were determined 
by FMCSA to meet the requirements of the current regulations. The State 
submissions also provided a measure of the number of school bus CDL 
drivers who would need to be retested absent the proposed exemption.
    FMCSA proposed in a July 14, 2005, notice [70 FR 40779] to grant 2-
year exemptions to the approximately 170,000 drivers identified by 
these 11 approved States. The applications in response to the FMCSA 
initiative, from the 11 approved States, are in the docket for this 
rulemaking. Even with the proposed 2-year exemption for those drivers, 
they would have been required to be retested by the end of the 2-year 
exemption period.
    The 11 States whose tests administered before September 30, 2002 
were recognized by FMCSA as meeting Federal regulations are: Alabama, 
Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, 
South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. These States required 
applicants to take a skills test in a school bus of the same vehicle 
group as the vehicle the applicant intended to drive. They also used 
school bus knowledge tests that incorporated the three topics required 
by Sec.  383.123:
    1. Loading and unloading children, including the safe operation of 
stop signals, external mirror systems, flashing lights and other 
warning devices and passenger safety devices required for school buses 
by State or Federal law or regulation.
    2. Emergency exits and procedures for safely evacuating passengers 
in an emergency.
    3. State and Federal laws and regulations related to safely 
traversing highway rail grade crossings.
    All comments to the docket for the July 14, 2005, notice supported 
the proposed exemption. The commenters also pointed out that unless 
some form of relief, such as the driver exemptions in the proposed 
notice, was granted to their State from the September 30, 2005, 
compliance retesting deadline, school bus operations would experience 
major driver shortage problems beginning the first school day in 
October 2005.
    A second initiative took place at the same time. Several interested 
parties including the States, the National Education Association, and 
the school bus transportation industry, also requested Congress to: (1) 
Clarify that tests administered before September 30, 2002 that complied 
with FMCSA standards meet the compliance provisions of the CDL school 
bus endorsement; and (2) extend the compliance date for the school bus 
endorsement requirement.
    In response to the first part of their request, Congress enacted 
section 4140(a) of SAFETEA-LU directing the Secretary to recognize any 
driver who passes a test approved by FMCSA as meeting the knowledge 
test requirement

[[Page 56592]]

for a school bus endorsement under 49 CFR 383.123. Because Sec.  
383.123 requires both knowledge and skills tests, FMCSA believes 
Congress intended to give FMCSA the authority to accept FMCSA-approved 
knowledge and skills tests administered prior to September 30, 2002, as 
being in compliance with Sec.  383.123. This is the interpretation 
FMCSA is adopting today in this IFR. Therefore, 2-year exemptions for 
such drivers in the 11 approved States are no longer necessary or 
appropriate.
    Additionally, in response to the second part of their request, 
section 4140(b) requires that all States be given an additional year to 
fully implement 49 CFR 383.123. Therefore, the compliance date in Sec.  
384.301(b) for full implementation and enforcement of the requirements 
in 49 CFR 383.123 is extended to September 30, 2006. Because Sec.  
383.123(b)(3), which includes a sunset date for waiving the skills 
test, is explicitly tied to the compliance date of September 30, 2005, 
FMCSA believes Congress also intended that the sunset date be extended 
to September 30, 2006. This is the interpretation FMCSA is adopting 
today in this IFR.
    The provisions of this IFR, as directed by section 4140 of SAFETEA-
LU, provide the required relief cited by the States in the docket, and 
thus avoids any adverse impact on school bus driver availability 
beginning the first school day in October 2005.

Rulemaking Analyses and Notices

Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review) and DOT 
Regulatory Policies and Procedures

    FMCSA determined this action is a not a significant regulatory 
action according to Executive Order 12866, and is not significant 
within the meaning of Department of Transportation regulatory policies 
and procedures (DOT Order 2100.5 dated May 22, 1980; 44 FR 11034, 
February 26, 1979). This rule implements congressionally-mandated 
changes, including acceptance of approved knowledge and skills tests 
administered prior to September 30, 2002, for CDL school bus 
endorsements, and States are provided an additional year to finish 
administering such knowledge and skills tests to school bus drivers. 
There are no new costs imposed on the States.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), as amended by the Small 
Business Regulatory Enforcement and Fairness Act (SBREFA), requires 
Federal agencies to analyze the impact of rulemakings on small 
entities, unless the agency certifies the rule will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 
The Agency certifies that this interim final rule does not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 
This rule does not impose any additional costs or burdens on school bus 
companies or local governments. A brief analysis of the impact of this 
rule on small entities has been placed in the docket for this 
rulemaking.

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4; 2 U.S.C. 
1532) requires each agency to assess the effects of its regulatory 
actions on State, local, and tribal governments and the private sector. 
The Act requires that any agency promulgating a final rule likely to 
result in a Federal mandate requiring expenditures by a State, local, 
or tribal government or by the private sector of $100 million or more 
in any one year must prepare a written statement incorporating various 
assessments, estimates, and descriptions that are delineated in the 
Act. The Department of Transportation uses a threshold value of $120.7 
million, which is the value of $100 million 1995 dollars inflated to 
2003 dollars. FMCSA has determined that the changes in this rulemaking 
will not have an impact of $120.7 million or more in any one year.

Executive Order 12988 (Civil Justice Reform)

    This action meets applicable standards in sections 3(a) and 3(b)(2) 
of Executive Order 12988, Civil Justice Reform, to minimize litigation, 
eliminate ambiguity, and reduce burden.

Executive Order 13045 (Protection of Children)

    Executive Order 13045, ``Protection of Children from Environmental 
Health Risks and Safety Risks'' (April 23, 1997, 62 FR 19885), requires 
that agencies issuing ``economically significant'' rules that also have 
an environmental health or safety risk that an agency has reason to 
believe may disproportionately affect children must include an 
evaluation of the environmental health and safety effects of the 
regulation on children. Section 5 of Executive Order 13045 directs an 
agency to submit for a ``covered regulatory action'' an evaluation of 
its environmental health or safety effects on children. The agency has 
determined that this rule is not a ``covered regulatory action'' as 
defined under Executive Order 13045.

Executive Order 12630 (Taking of Private Property)

    This rule will not effect a taking of private property or otherwise 
have taking implications under Executive Order 12630, Governmental 
Actions and Interference with Constitutionally Protected Property 
Rights.

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

    Congress initially mandated establishment of CDL school bus 
endorsements in MCSIA. Congress most recently, in section 4140 of 
SAFETEA-LU, mandated that FMCSA-approved tests given before September 
30, 2002, be accepted as meeting the requirement for a school bus 
endorsement, and that States be given an additional year to meet the 
school bus endorsement requirement of MCSIA. There are no new 
Federalism impacts associated with this rulemaking's implementation of 
the Congressional mandate.

Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review)

    The regulations implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding 
intergovernmental consultation on Federal programs and activities do 
not apply to this program.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) 
requires Federal agencies to obtain approval from OMB for each 
collection of information they conduct, sponsor, or require through 
regulations. FMCSA has determined that the changes in this interim 
final rule will not change any of the existing information collection 
requirements.

National Environmental Policy Act

    The agency analyzed this Interim Final Rule for the purpose of the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.) and determined under our environmental procedures Order 5610.1, 
published March 1, 2004 in the Federal Register (69 FR 9680), that this 
action is categorically excluded (CE) under Appendix 2, paragraph 6.s 
(6) of the Order from further environmental documentation. That CE 
relates to establishing regulations and actions taken pursuant to these 
regulations that concern requirements for States to give knowledge and 
skills tests to all qualified applicants for commercial driver's 
licenses. In addition, the agency believes that the action includes no 
extraordinary circumstances that would have any effect on the quality 
of the environment. Thus, the action does not

[[Page 56593]]

require an environmental assessment or an environmental impact 
statement.
    We have also analyzed this proposed rule under the Clean Air Act, 
as amended (CAA) section 176(c), (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) and 
implementing regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection 
Agency. Approval of this action is exempt from the CAA's General 
conformity requirement since it involves rulemaking and policy 
development and issuance. See 40 CFR 93.153(c)(2). It would not result 
in any emissions increase nor would it have any potential to result in 
emissions that are above the general conformity rule's de minimis 
emission threshold levels. Moreover, it is reasonably foreseeable that 
the rule would not increase total CMV mileage, change the routing of 
CMVs, how CMVs operate, or the CMV fleet-mix of motor carriers. This 
action merely clarifies procedures and extends compliance dates for CDL 
school bus operators obtaining a school bus endorsement on their CDL.

Executive Order 13211 (Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use)

    We have analyzed this rule under Executive Order 13211, Actions 
Concerning Regulations that Significantly Affect Energy Supply, 
Distribution, or Use. This action is not a significant energy action 
within the meaning of section 4(b) of the Executive Order because it is 
not economically significant and not likely to have a significant 
adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use of energy. 
Additionally, the Administrator of the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs has not designated this rule as a significant energy 
action. For these reasons, a Statement of Energy Effects under 
Executive Order 13211 is not required.

List of Subjects

49 CFR Part 383

    Administrative practice and procedure, Highway safety, and Motor 
carriers.

49 CFR Part 384

    Administrative practice and procedure, Highway safety, and Motor 
carriers.

0
In consideration of the foregoing, FMCSA amends title 49, Code of 
Federal Regulations chapter III, subchapter B, as set forth below.

PART 383--COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE STANDARDS; REQUIREMENTS AND 
PENALTIES

0
1. The authority citation for 49 CFR part 383 is revised to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 521, 31136, 31301 et seq., 31502; sec. 214 
of Pub. L. 106-159, 113 Stat. 1766, 1767; sec. 1012(b) of Pub. L. 
107-56, 115 Stat. 397; sec. 4140 of Pub. L. 10-59, 119 Stat. 1144; 
and 49 CFR 1.73.


0
2. Amend Sec.  383.123 by adding a new paragraph (a)(4), and revising 
paragraph (b)(3) to read as follows:


Sec.  383.123  Requirements for a school bus endorsement.

    (a) * * *
    (4) Exception. Knowledge and skills tests administered before 
September 30, 2002 and approved by FMCSA as meeting the requirements of 
this section, meet the requirements of paragraphs (a)(2) and (a)(3) of 
this section.
    (b) * * *
    (3) After September 30, 2006, the provisions in paragraph (b) of 
this section do not apply.

PART 384--STATE COMPLIANCE WITH COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE PROGRAM

0
3. The authority citation for part 384 is revised to read as follows:

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 31136, 31301 et seq., 31502; sec. 103 of 
Pub. L. 106-159, 113 Stat. 1753, 1767; sec. 4140 of Pub. L. 10-59, 
119 Stat. 1144; and 49 CFR 1.73.

0
4. Section 384.301 is amended by revising paragraph (b) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  384.301  Substantial compliance-general requirements.

* * * * *
    (b)(1) A State must come into substantial compliance with the 
requirements of subpart B of this part in effect as of September 30, 
2002 as soon as practical, but, unless otherwise specifically provided 
in this part, not later than September 30, 2005.
    (2) Exception. A State must come into substantial compliance with 
49 CFR 383.123 not later than September 30, 2006.

    Issued on: September 20, 2005.
Annette M. Sandberg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 05-19292 Filed 9-27-05; 8:45 am]
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