By Salinas                                            H.B. No. 1311
         77R4084 CAS-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to air-conditioning of certain school buses.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1. Section 547.701, Transportation Code, is amended
 1-5     by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (e) to read as
 1-6     follows:
 1-7           (a)  A school bus shall be equipped with:
 1-8                 (1)  a convex mirror or other device that reflects to
 1-9     the school bus operator a clear view of the area immediately in
1-10     front of the vehicle that would otherwise be hidden from view;
1-11     [and]
1-12                 (2)  signal lamps that:
1-13                       (A)  are mounted as high and as widely spaced
1-14     laterally as practicable;
1-15                       (B)  display four alternately flashing red
1-16     lights, two located on the front at the same level and two located
1-17     on the rear at the same level; and
1-18                       (C)  emit a light visible at a distance of 500
1-19     feet in normal sunlight; and
1-20                 (3)  air-conditioning if a school district purchases
1-21     the school bus on or after September 1, 2001.
1-22           (e)  From state money appropriated for that purpose, for each
1-23     school bus a school district purchases on or after September 1,
1-24     2001, the General Services Commission shall reimburse the district
 2-1     for the cost of equipping the school bus with air-conditioning as
 2-2     required under Subsection (a)(3).  The General Services Commission
 2-3     shall reimburse the  district in an amount equal to the difference
 2-4     between the cost of the school bus equipped with air-conditioning
 2-5     and the cost of that school bus without air-conditioning equipment.
 2-6     The General Services Commission may adopt rules as necessary to
 2-7     implement this subsection.
 2-8           SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.