HB 161 SCHOOL BUS SEATBELTS & AIR CONDITIONING

Rep Cathrynn N Brown

Actions: [2] not prntd-HRC

Scheduled: Not Scheduled

 House Bill 161 (HB 161) requires certain new school buses to have air conditioning and seat belts. HB 161 provides for the calculation of school bus seating capacity. HB 161 requires training.
 

 House Bill 161 requires school buses purchased July 1, 2025, to have air-conditioning and seat belts, provides a calculation for school bus seating capacity; and requires training, as follows:

SECTION 1 adds a new section of the Public School Code to address school bus standards.
A. The department shall adopt rules to ensure all school buses purchased on or after July 1, 2025, whether school district-owned or contractor-owned, shall be equipped with: 
(1) air conditioning in school districts in which temperatures are regularly high enough to pose a risk to students; and 
(2) seat belts for all passengers; provided that the owner or operator of a school bus shall not be liable for injuries arising out of a passenger's failure to use a seat belt. 

B. In determining the seating capacity of school buses used for transporting school children, the department shall adopt rules providing seating shall not exceed:
(1) three students, when the combined seated width of those students is more than the actual width of the seat; and 
(2) two students, when the combined seated width of those students is more than the actual width of the seat. 

C. The department shall ensure all school bus drivers receive training that includes standardized training in the determining the legal capacity when loading children and the procedure for reporting an overload condition.