LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              March 26, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Clyde Alexander, Chair, House Committee on
               Transportation
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB2688  by Salinas (Relating to school bus passenger
               safety.), As Introduced
  
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*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
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Local Government Impact
  
The effect of the bill is to require that all school buses used to
transport public school students on or after September 1, 2001, have a
passenger safety message/inscription permanently placed/affixed in a
readily noticeable/conspicuous location on the back of the vehicle.
These statutory requirements, found respectively in Section 545.2535 and
545.066, Transportation Code, and Section 547.607 and 547.701, specify
additional equipment requirements for school buses (i.e., fire
extinguisher, convex cross-over mirrors, and loading/unloading signal
lamps).

The Texas Education Agency reports that about 33,000 school buses were in
use by the various school districts in the state for the 1999-2000
school year, with about 2,600 new and used buses being purchased
annually.  At an estimated expense of $200 per bus, the initial cost
estimate to affected school districts would be approximately $6.6
million, with an additional cost of about $2.6 million over the next 5
years.
  
  
Source Agencies:   405   Texas Department of Public Safety, 701   Texas
                   Education Agency
LBB Staff:         JK, JO, PF, RN