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Anton's Law

Public Law 107-318 · H.R. 5504 · 107th Congress · began in the House

Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 4, 2002 · Transportation and Public Works

Sponsor: Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL-20)

Cosponsors (6): Rep. Billy Tauzin,

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Anton's Law - (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a rulemaking proceeding to establish performance requirements for child restraints, including booster seats, for children weighing more than 50 pounds. Requires the Secretary to: (1) consider whether to include injury performance criteria for child restraints under the requirements, establish performance requirements for seat belt fit when used with booster seats and other belt guidance devices, and address situations where children weighing more than 50 pounds only have access to seating positions with lap belts; and (2) review the definition of the term "booster seat" in Federal motor vehicle safety standard No. 213 to determine if it is sufficiently comprehensive.

(Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to develop, evaluate, and initiate a rulemaking proceeding to adopt an anthropomorphic test device that simulates a ten-year old child for use in testing child restraints used in passenger motor vehicles.

(Sec. 5) Requires the Secretary to complete a rulemaking proceeding to amend Federal motor vehicle safety standard No. 208 relating to occupant crash protection in order to require a lap and shoulder belt assembly for each rear designated seating position in a passenger motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less (except that if the Secretary determines that installation of a lap and shoulder belt is not practicable for a particular designated seating position in a particular type of passenger motor vehicle, the Secretary may exclude the designated seating position from the requirement). Requires such requirement to be implemented in phases beginning with the production year that begins not later than 12 months after the end of the year in which the regulations are prescribed. Requires the final rule to apply to all passenger motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less that are manufactured in the third production year of the implementation phase-in under the schedule.

(Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to initiate an evaluation of integrated or built-in child restraints and booster seats covering: (1) safety and correctness of fit; (2) the availability of testing data on the system and vehicle; (3) compatibility with different makes and models; (4) the cost-effectiveness of mass production for consumers; (5) ease of use and relative availability; and (6) the benefits of built-in seats for improving compliance with State child occupant restraint laws. Requires the Secretary to report on this evaluation to specified congressional committees.

(Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for the evaluation and for research of the nature and causes of injury to children involved in motor vehicle crashes.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.

  1. Dec 4, 2002Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 107-318.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Nov 26, 2002PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Nov 18, 2002FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  5. Nov 15, 2002FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  6. FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
  7. FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
  8. FloorFloor · Mr. Armey asked unanimous consent discharge the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.
  9. Oct 8, 2002CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Energy and Commerce Committee
  10. Oct 2, 2002CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Energy and Commerce Committee
  11. Oct 1, 2002CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee
  12. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.