Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same,
as follows:
Section 7B of chapter 90 of
the General Laws, as appearing in the 1998 Official Edition,
is hereby amended by adding the following
paragraph:-
No person shall operate a moving school bus while using a mobile telephone
except
in
the case of an emergency. For
the purpose of this paragraph, an emergency shall mean that the operator
of the school bus needs to communicate with another to report any of the
following: (a) that the school bus is disabled; (b) that medical attention
or assistance is required for a
passenger on the bus; (c) that police intervention is necessary for the
personal safety of a passenger or to otherwise ensure the safety of the
passengers; and (d) the presence of a disabled vehicle or an
accident in the roadway.
Approved January 12, 2001.