Consideration and Possible Action Pertaining to School Bus Seat Belts; SB 546 Three-Point Seat Belt Requirement — Transportation Code §547.701 Description: Senate Bill 546, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature, amended Texas Transportation Code §547.701 to require that all school buses transporting students be equipped with three-point seat belts for each passenger and the driver. As part of this

Staff Report & Agenda Item Details

IV.D.3. Consideration and Possible Action Pertaining to School Bus Seat Belts; SB 546 Three-Point Seat Belt Requirement — Transportation Code §547.701 Description: Senate Bill 546, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature, amended Texas Transportation Code §547.701 to require that all school buses transporting students be equipped with three-point seat belts for each passenger and the driver. As part of this requirement, school districts must evaluate their current bus fleet and determine the financial feasibility of purchasing or retrofitting buses to meet the three-point seat belt standard. If the Board determines that compliance is not financially feasible, the district is required to present this determination in a public meeting and report the following information to the Texas Education Agency (TEA): The number of buses not equipped with seat belts The number of buses equipped with two-point (lap) seat belts The number of buses equipped with three-point seat belts The estimated cost to retrofit or replace buses to achieve full compliance The administration has reviewed the district’s current transportation fleet and obtained cost estimates for retrofitting and/or replacing buses to meet the requirements of SB 546. Based on this review, the cost to fully comply represents a significant financial impact to the district.  The Board is required to make a determination regarding the financial feasibility of compliance in order to complete the required TEA reporting.

This motion is scored as EXPANDS_GOVERNMENT (Impact Weight: 2.3/10). Under the Bastiat Liberty Watchdog Index, measures that increase tax rates or fee schedules, issue new debt or Certificates of Obligation, expand regulatory/zoning restrictions on private land use, or authorize unbudgeted spending expansions reduce an official's Freedom Score when voted YES (and reward dissenting NO votes).