| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to school buses; amending s. 316.6145, |
| 3 | F.S.; removing requirement that school buses be equipped |
| 4 | with safety belts or other restraint systems; providing an |
| 5 | effective date. |
| 6 |
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| 7 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 8 |
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| 9 | Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 316.6145, Florida |
| 10 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 11 | 316.6145 School buses; safety belt belts or other |
| 12 | restraint system requirements systems required.-- |
| 13 | (1)(a) Each school bus that is purchased new after |
| 14 | December 31, 2000, and used to transport students in grades pre- |
| 15 | K through 12 must be equipped with safety belts or with any |
| 16 | other restraint system approved by the Federal Government in a |
| 17 | number sufficient to allow each student who is being transported |
| 18 | to use a separate safety belt or restraint system. These safety |
| 19 | belts must meet the standards required under s. 316.614. A |
| 20 | school bus that was purchased prior to December 31, 2000, is not |
| 21 | required to be equipped with safety belts. |
| 22 | (b) As used in this section, "school bus" means a school |
| 23 | bus that is owned, leased, operated, or contracted by a school |
| 24 | district. |
| 25 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |