BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

S.B. 635

By: Seliger

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Current state law requires each school district to conduct at least two school bus emergency evacuation training sessions each academic year.  Current law also requires that a portion of the training occur on a school bus and last for at least one hour.  These requirements place an undue burden on many school districts.  The mandates require students to lose at least two hours of class time each academic year and impose unnecessary costs on a district.

 

S.B. 635 reduces the school bus emergency evacuation training requirement to one training session per year and authorizes the training session to be conducted via video, which may be produced by students.  The bill removes a requirement for training sessions to be held in the fall and spring and for a portion of the training to occur on a school bus and last at least an hour.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

 

S.B. 635 amends the Education Code to reduce the minimum frequency of school bus emergency evacuation trainings each school district is required to conduct from at least twice each school year to at least once each school year.  The bill removes the requirement that one training session occur in the fall and one training session occur in the spring and the requirement that a portion of the training session occur on a school bus and last at least one hour.  The bill authorizes the training to be conducted through the use of video and authorizes a student production of a video used for such training.  The bill makes its provisions applicable beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.