|
House Bill 3190 |
House Author: Giddings |
|
Effective: 9-1-07 |
Senate Sponsor: Carona |
House Bill 3190 amends the Transportation Code to require the minimum standards adopted by the Texas Department of Transportation for a person operating a school bus for the transportation of students to provide that a person's driving record is not acceptable if the person has been convicted of certain Penal Code offenses within the 10-year period preceding the date of the check of the person's driving record. The bill also defines "multifunction school activity bus" for purposes of defining vehicles that are subject to rules of the road and adds a school bus, including a multifunction school activity bus, to the jurisdiction of the law governing operation and movement of vehicles. The bill provides that a person commits an offense if the person, as the operator of a school bus equipped with a safety belt for the operator's seat, is not secured by the safety belt. The bill adds provisions relating to the operation of a school bus to prohibit a person from operating a school bus if the door of the school bus is open or the number of passengers is greater than the manufacturer's design capacity for the bus and to require a person operating a school bus to prohibit a passenger from standing in the bus or sitting on the floor or in any location that is not designed as a seat. The Texas Department of Transportation is authorized to adopt rules necessary to administer and enforce these provisions. The bill amends the Education Code to authorize the Department of Public Safety to adopt rules necessary to implement provisions requiring each school district, pursuant to school bus safety standards established by the department, to conduct a training session beginning with the 2007-2008 school year for students and teachers concerning procedures for evacuating a school bus during an emergency.