Latest news with #SenateBill546
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Texas House passes bill tightening rules on school bus seat belts
For the first time, a bill requiring school districts to report the presence and cost of seat belts on their buses cleared a key hurdle on Tuesday when the Texas House overwhelmingly passed the proposal. The bill, Senate Bill 546, would also eliminate the exemption that allows buses built before 2018 to operate without restraints. The state-level conversation about enhancing students' transportation safety comes after a deadly bus crash in Bastrop County on March 22, 2024, that left a prekindergarten student and 33-year-old man dead. The bill builds on decades of Texas laws promoting seat belt use on school buses, although many students across the state continue riding unrestrained daily. SB 546 now heads back to the Senate for final approval before advancing to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk to become law. Just before the House's final 104-38 vote Wednesday, Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, thanked Midland Republican Rep. Tom Craddick for carrying the bill through the House. The state hasn't provided the funding districts need to fully equip their buses with seat belts, she said. 'We do know there have been many tragedies of children on these school buses who have lost their lives,' Howard said. Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, who authored the bill, said the proposal is about saving lives. "In an age of discussing school safety and preventable deaths, it is clear that when school buses are equipped with seat belts, they could save the lives of children, bus drivers, and other passengers on board," Menéndez stated in his statement of intent. The March 2024 crash involved a Hays school district bus from 2011 that didn't have seat belts. Forty-four students from Tom Green Elementary School and 11 adults were returning from a field trip to the Capital of Texas Zoo in Bastrop County when a concrete pump truck collided with the bus, causing it to flip on its side. A 2017 state law requires all school buses to have seat belts, but it excludes buses purchased before 2018. The law also allows districts to exempt themselves from the mandate if they can't afford purchasing new buses, which wouldn't change with SB 546. By the end of the 2025-26 school year districts will be required to report to the Texas Education Agency how many buses they operate or contract that lack restraints, have only two-point seat belts or have three-point belts. Districts will also have to report the cost of transitioning their bus fleets to three-point safety belts. While two-point belts only cover a rider's lap, three-point belts look like a standard car seat belt. By Jan. 1, 2027, the TEA is expected to develop a report for state leaders on how much it would cost for all school buses statewide to have seat belts. A November analysis by the American-Statesman revealed that while most school districts have switched to purchasing new buses with seat belts, many districts still use older buses without restraints. District officials and experts who spoke with the Statesman pointed to the financial burden of purchasing new buses, especially for rural districts, as a reason for the delayed transition. In 13 Central Texas school districts the Statesman surveyed at the time, only four, including Austin, had bus fleets fully outfitted with seat belts. Four others had at least 75% of their buses equipped with restraints. The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates transportation crashes, has recommended the use of three-point seat belts on school buses since 2018. Although child safety and transportation experts consistently report school buses are among the safest vehicles on the road, they also point to data that belts add protection in rollover crashes similar to the one in Bastrop County. However, laws requiring seat belts on school buses are rare across the U.S. Texas is one of only eight states with any seat belt mandates, regardless of exemptions. Since 2011, 13 crashes involving school buses have killed someone riding in the bus, according to data from the TEA. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas House passes bill tightening rules on school bus seat belts
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers consider ramping up school bus safety systems
The Brief Texas lawmakers had two bill hearings that would add more seat belts and cameras to school buses Senate Bill 546 would require school districts to add seat belts to all school buses Senate Bill 744 would add stop-arm cameras to school buses AUSTIN, Texas - School bus safety was a hot topic at the state capitol on Wednesday. There were hearings on two bills that would add more seat belts and cameras to school buses. What they're saying It's been a year since a deadly crash involving a Hays CISD school bus and a concrete pump truck. There were no seat belts on the bus because of a loophole in state law. The safety devices are only required to be on buses purchased after 2018 and the law doesn't mandate upgrading older buses. SB 546, filed by San Antonio Democrat Jose Menendez, would set in motion the upgrade of all school buses in Texas. School districts would have to document how many buses they have without seat belts and then report to the TEA how much it will cost to replace them. RELATED: Texas lawmakers push for expanded seat belt requirements on school buses On Wednesday, the Senate Transportation Committee held a hearing on the legislation. "So, we need to identify those school districts that need the actual help. Maybe we can put a grant program together after we know the size of the problem. If we don't know the problem, I don't know how we can fix it," said Sen. Menendez. The original draft of the bill provided school districts with an exemption to use two-point seat belts if they could not afford the three-point seat belts. Menendez removed that option after safety experts objected to the use of two-point belts. The fleet upgrade does not need to happen right away. "They have 4 years in terms of a timeline to implement the plan. That's a maximum. But what we want them to do is report to the TEA, report in public through their school board a compliance period," said Menendez. Local perspective The hearing on SB 546 included emotional testimony from Brad Brown. "Believe me, I never intended to be an expert on school bus safety. It was the position I found myself in the aftermath of the March 29, 2006, bus crash that claimed the life of my 16-year-old daughter, Ashley Brown," said Brown. The committee was told safety improvements have been made since Brown's daughter died near Beaumont. He believes this new legislative effort will speed up the use of newer buses. "Every child on every school bus should have a three-point seat belt period," said Brown. What's next The seat belt bill, if passed, would allow school districts to raise money, and accept donations, to help purchase new buses. What they're saying Another school bus safety bill was also discussed by the committee. SB 744 would allow school districts to install cameras on buses. "It's not red-light cameras. It's cameras on a bus on the arm so they can monitor those who pass the buses illegally," said Republican Senator Donna Campbell. Stop-arm cameras are currently used by Austin ISD, and they are being tested in Laredo. "We equipped just six school buses, only six, and over the five-month period, those buses recorded more than 2,100 instances of drivers illegally passing while the stop-arm was deployed and red lights were flashing," said United ISD Superintendent Mike Garza. The legislation would give school districts an exemption to a ban on red-light cameras passed by lawmakers in 2019. State Senator Phil King noted that red-light cameras were a civil fine. He asked Sen. Campbell if her bill would allow the traffic ticket to be a criminal or civil citation. "There's an option for both," said Campbell. The school bus camera bill, according to Sen. Campbell, would not be a mandate. The Source Information from Texas legislative session hearings
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Senate bill looks to answer how much help school districts need to install seatbelts on buses
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — A bill in the Texas Senate will require school districts to have seatbelts on every single school bus in their fleet, no matter what year the bus was purchased. Districts that cannot afford to meet full compliance will be required to publicly report it to the Texas Education Agency so the state can better understand how it can financially help. Senate Bill 546, authored by State Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, has gone through some changes. Originally, the bill allowed for poorer school districts to install two-point seatbelts, or lap belts, as an alternative to three-point belts. However, a committee substitute of the bill filed Wednesday morning removes that alternative, because lap belts are not viewed as a safer option. The National Association for Pupil Transportation, an organization that supports school transportation professionals, released a statement this month saying it opposes the use of two-point belts on school buses and instead recommends three-point lap-and-shoulder belts for any school district deciding to install seatbelts on its fleet. The bill would allow a four-year compliance window for school districts. Menéndez spoke about the bill and its requirement for districts to publicly report a plan of action during the Senate Committee on Transportation meeting Wednesday morning. 'The school districts must submit a plan of action for compliance with them with a timeline for implementation. This plan of action should include the number of busses that will or will not be in compliance, and what's the cost to purchase the three-point seat belts. Finally, the plan of action will need to be presented in an open meeting with the school board and submitted to TEA … and then they will, the TEA will share each district's report to the legislature,' Menéndez explained. Menéndez said this will give state lawmakers a better understanding of where help is needed most, as some school districts have already installed seatbelts on their fleet. 'So we need to identify those school districts that need the actual help. Maybe we could put a grant program together after we know the size of the problem. If we don't know the problem, I don't know how we fix it,' Menéndez explained. The impetus of Menéndez's bill was the deadly bus crash in March 2024. A Hays CISD school bus driving back from a trip to the zoo collided with a concrete truck. Five-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya and 33-year-old Ryan Wallace died in the crash. In total, 53 people were injured. The school bus carrying the group of students did not have seatbelts. A 2017 law passed in Texas required all school buses purchased after 2017 to be equipped with seatbelts, but older models would not be held to that same requirement. In the aftermath of the crash, Hays CISD officials approved a $4.7 million purchase of 30 new school buses with seatbelts and also approved $397,000 to retrofit seatbelts on 13 older school buses. The bill was left pending in the Transportation Committee Wednesday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
