LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              April 17, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Clyde Alexander, Chair, House Committee on
               Transportation
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB2043  by Williams (Relating to school bus or motor bus
               safety standards.), As Introduced
  
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*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
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The bill requires school or motor buses used to transport pre-primary,
primary, or secondary students to and from school or in connection with
school activities to meet federal school bus safety standards as
contained in 49 U.S.C. Section 30101 et seq., as amended.

School districts have until September 1, 2006 to bring currently used
buses into compliance.  Buses purchased, leased, chartered or under
contract after September 1, 2001 must be in compliance.

Current law (Transportation Code  547.7015) already requires that school
districts acquire and maintain for use only those school buses that
comply with applicable rules adopted by the General Services Commission
and the Department of Public Safety.  Those rules already include the
federal safety standards.
  
Local Government Impact
  
For many school districts, there would be no actions specifically
required.  Those districts owning affected vehicles would have five years
in which to dispose of or replace the vehicles that do not comply with
federal safety standards.

School districts would incur some costs, estimated at $8 million over
five years, for the replacement of motor buses that do not comply with
school bus safety standards.

The scenario described assumes that districts would choose to replace
motor buses.  It is possible that districts could opt to utilize their
existing fleets of school buses; in such a case, disposal of motor buses
would then represent an exchange for cash only, and not a net expense to
the districts.
  
  
Source Agencies:   405   Texas Department of Public Safety, 701   Texas
                   Education Agency
LBB Staff:         JK, JO, UP