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House Bill 323 |
House Author: Hamilton et al. |
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Effective: 9-1-07 |
Senate Sponsor: Lucio et al. |
House Bill 323 amends provisions of the Transportation Code and Education Code relating to buses that transport schoolchildren. The bill requires a school bus and school activity bus purchased by a school district on or after September 1, 2010, and each school-chartered bus contracted for use by a school district on or after September 1, 2011, to be equipped with a three-point seat belt for each passenger, including the operator. The bill specifies that this requirement does not take effect unless the legislature appropriates money specifically for the purpose of reimbursing school districts for expenses incurred in complying with the requirement. The bill authorizes a person to donate three-point seat belts or funding for them and authorizes a school district board of trustees to acknowledge the donation in a prescribed manner. The bill requires a school district to require a student to wear a seat belt if the student is riding in a bus equipped with seat belts for all passengers and requires a district to report annually to the Texas Education Agency the number of accidents in which the district's buses are involved. The agency is required by rule to require that school districts report certain accident information and to publish the reports on its website. The bill requires the State Board of Education to develop and make available to each school district a program of instruction in the proper use of a three-point seat belt and to serve as a clearinghouse of best practices relating to school bus safety.