BUS TESTING FACILITIES.

SEC. 20014. BUS TESTING FACILITIES. Section 5318 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following:“(e) Acquiring New Bus Models.—“(1) In general.—Amounts appropriated or otherwise made available under this chapter may be obligated or expended to acquire a new bus model only if—“(A) a bus of that model has been tested at a facility authorized under subsection (a); and“(B) the bus tested under subparagraph (A) met—“(i) performance standards for maintainability, reliability, performance (including braking performance), structural integrity, fuel economy, emissions, and noise, as established by the Secretary by rule; and“(ii) the minimum safety performance standards established by the Secretary pursuant to section 5329(b).“(2) Bus test ‘pass/fail’ standard.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Federal Public Transportation Act of 2012, the Secretary shall issue a final rule under subparagraph (B)(i). The final rule issued under paragraph (B)(i) shall include a bus model scoring system that results 126 STAT. 695 in a weighted, aggregate score that uses the testing categories under subsection (a) and considers the relative importance of each such testing category. The final rule issued under subparagraph (B)(i) shall establish a ‘pass/fail’ standard that uses the aggregate score described in the preceding sentence. Amounts appropriated or otherwise made available under this chapter may be obligated or expended to acquire a new bus model only if the new bus model has received a passing aggregate test score. The Secretary shall work with the bus testing facility, bus manufacturers, and transit agencies to develop the bus model scoring system under this paragraph. A passing aggregate test score under the rule issued under subparagraph (B)(i) indicates only that amounts appropriated or made available under this chapter may be obligated or expended to acquire a new bus model and shall not be interpreted as a warranty or guarantee that the new bus model will meet a purchaser’s specific requirements.”.