SENATE DOCKET, NO. 648        FILED ON: 1/15/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1397

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Diana DiZoglio

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to seat belts on school buses.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Diana DiZoglio

First Essex

 

Rebecca L. Rausch

Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex

1/30/2019


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 648        FILED ON: 1/15/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1397

By Ms. DiZoglio, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1397) of Diana DiZoglio and Rebecca L. Rausch for legislation to require the use of seat belts on certain school buses.  Public Safety and Homeland Security.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2486 OF 2017-2018.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act relative to seat belts on school buses.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 7B of chapter 90, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the fourth paragraph, the following paragraph:-

There shall be a commission to determine whether seatbelts shall be installed in and required in future purchases of school buses. In addition, the commission shall, if it determines that seat belts will enhance the safety of school age children sufficiently, determine how to ensure the proper and consistent use of seatbelts, and whether any mandate for seatbelts applies to buses in current use or for future purchases only.

The purpose of this commission is to study the benefit, if any, to requiring seatbelts on school buses . This commission shall determine if school districts should require seat belts on buses, whether these seat belts, if required, should be lap belts or cross body belts, and whether school bus operators should be required to instruct students on the proper use of the installed seatbelts.  If the commission determines that seatbelts would benefit the safety of school-age children in the commonwealth, it shall review whether operating school buses shall be retrofitted with seatbelts and who shall bear that cost.