S. 1536: ALERT Drivers Act
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S. 1536: ALERT Drivers Act
111th Congress · introduced 2009-07-29 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2009-07-29 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
ALERT Drivers Act
Plain summary
Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers Act of 2009 or the ALERT Drivers Act - Requires the Secretary of Transportation to withhold 25% of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway program funds for the fiscal year if the state has not enacted or is not enforcing a law that: (1) prohibits, except in an emergency, an operator of a motor vehicle from writing, sending, or reading a text message using a hand-held mobile telephone (excluding a voice-activated device); and (2) requires, upon conviction of a violation of such prohibition, the imposition of certain minimum penalties.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
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What does this mean? (plain words)
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The strongest published arguments
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Alternatives
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] · 10 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] reported raising $1.2 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (1)
- Fiscal year
- The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111s1536.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/s>
Record fed-us-cong111-s1536 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111