According to Consumer Reports' "Cars Blog," the bill -- which has been presented in both the House and the Senate, though neither has yet voted on it -- the legislation aims to strengthen the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in both power and financial resources. According to the blog:
"The Motor Vehicle Safety Act would help strengthen NHTSA's ability to address and avert safety problems in the future. It would bolster NHTSA's resources, authorities and expertise. Increasing funds for NHTSA will provide the agency better tools to do its work. The bill would also require NHTSA to address four areas that Consumers Union recommended for improvement in light of the Toyota sudden unintended-acceleration issues."

Those four areas from the Consumers Union include brake override controls; a simple engine kill switch for emergencies; intuitive and clearly labeled transmission shifters; and solutions for possible stuck pedals.

Ironically, there's no definitive consensus as to the exact nature of Toyota's unintended-acceleration issues -- even after more than 8.5 million vehicles recalled worldwide. (Early indications are that the problems are not due to software glitches but to driver error and/or mechanical issues such as stuck pedals and improperly secured floor mats.) Regardless, putting the spotlight on NHTSA to do its job more efficiently and more effectively -- and giving the administration the resources to do so -- should of course be considered a good thing.