| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to school bus safety; creating the "Diana |
| 3 | Kautz Student Safety Sponsors Act"; creating s. 1006.273, |
| 4 | F.S.; providing for district school boards to adopt |
| 5 | policies for private sponsorship of described seat belt |
| 6 | assemblies or other safety equipment on school buses; |
| 7 | providing for a sponsorship fee; providing for use of |
| 8 | moneys collected; providing for signage on the exterior of |
| 9 | the school bus acknowledging sponsorship; providing for |
| 10 | design and size of the signage by local school board |
| 11 | policy; limiting the liability of sponsors; amending s. |
| 12 | 1006.25, F.S.; requiring sponsor signs to be covered when |
| 13 | school buses are transporting passengers who are not |
| 14 | school students; revising the requirement that students |
| 15 | use the crash protection system on a school bus; amending |
| 16 | s. 1006.261, F.S.; requiring sponsor signs to be covered |
| 17 | when school buses are used for nonschool purposes; |
| 18 | providing an effective date. |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Diana Kautz |
| 23 | Student Safety Sponsors Act." |
| 24 | Section 2. Section 1006.273, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 25 | to read: |
| 26 | 1006.273 Crash protection systems or other safety |
| 27 | equipment; sponsorship.--A district school board may adopt |
| 28 | policies providing for private sponsorship of the installation |
| 29 | of crash protection equipment or other safety equipment on |
| 30 | school buses pursuant to the provisions of this section. |
| 31 | (1)(a) Any person or business entity may sponsor the |
| 32 | installation of seat belt assemblies or other safety equipment |
| 33 | on a school bus by paying a sponsorship fee as prescribed by |
| 34 | local school board policy. Proceeds from the collection of the |
| 35 | fee shall be distributed as follows: |
| 36 | 1. Up to 5 percent may be used to pay the cost of an |
| 37 | advertising agent involved with the transaction. |
| 38 | 2. Up to 45 percent shall be used to pay for the cost of |
| 39 | the seat belt assemblies or other safety equipment and the cost |
| 40 | of installation. |
| 41 | 3. The remaining funds shall be remitted to the state for |
| 42 | deposit into the General Revenue Fund to be used for |
| 43 | transportation purposes. |
| 44 | (b) There may be up to four business entity sponsors per |
| 45 | school bus. Sponsorships or cosponsorships by individuals shall |
| 46 | be as provided by district school board policy. |
| 47 | (2)(a) Upon request by the sponsor, the district school |
| 48 | board shall place signage on the exterior rear, lower-quarter |
| 49 | panels of the school bus acknowledging the sponsor and, if the |
| 50 | sponsor is a business entity, bearing the logo of the business |
| 51 | entity. However, no sponsor shall be required to have his or her |
| 52 | name or the name of the business entity placed on the school |
| 53 | bus. |
| 54 | (b) The acknowledgment shall bear the wording "Safety |
| 55 | equipment sponsored by" followed by the name of the sponsor. |
| 56 | (c) The design and size of the signage shall be as |
| 57 | prescribed by local school board policy. |
| 58 | (3) If sponsorship is applied to seat belt assembly, the |
| 59 | school bus must be equipped with a seat belt assembly that meets |
| 60 | the requirements for type 2 seat belt assemblies established |
| 61 | under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 209, 49 C.F.R. |
| 62 | s. 571.209, or with any other pelvic and upper torso restraint |
| 63 | system approved by the Federal Government in a number sufficient |
| 64 | to allow each student who is being transported to use a separate |
| 65 | pelvic and upper torso restraint system. |
| 66 | (4) Sponsorship under this section shall not impose or |
| 67 | imply any duty or responsibility on the sponsor for installation |
| 68 | or use of any seat belt assembly or other safety equipment on |
| 69 | any school bus, and, in any action relating to the installation, |
| 70 | use, disuse, or misuse of any seat belt assembly or other safety |
| 71 | equipment on a school bus, no liability shall accrue to any |
| 72 | person or business entity because that person or entity is a |
| 73 | sponsor under this section. |
| 74 | Section 3. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1006.25, |
| 75 | Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 76 | 1006.25 School buses.--School buses shall be defined and |
| 77 | meet specifications as follows: |
| 78 | (3) STANDARDS FOR LEASED VEHICLES.--A motor vehicle owned |
| 79 | and operated by a county or municipal transit authority that is |
| 80 | leased by the district school board for transportation of public |
| 81 | school students must meet such standards as the State Board of |
| 82 | Education establishes by rule. A school bus authorized by a |
| 83 | district school board to carry passengers other than school |
| 84 | students must have the words "School Bus" and any other signs |
| 85 | and insignia that mark or designate it as a school bus and any |
| 86 | sign of sponsorship under s. 1006.273 covered, removed, or |
| 87 | otherwise concealed while such passengers are being transported. |
| 88 | (4) OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEMS.--Students may be |
| 89 | transported only in designated seating positions, except as |
| 90 | provided in s. 1006.22(12), and must use the occupant crash |
| 91 | protection system installed in the vehicle provided by the |
| 92 | manufacturer, which system must comply with the requirements of |
| 93 | 49 C.F.R. part 571 or with specifications of the State Board of |
| 94 | Education. |
| 95 | Section 4. Subsection (3) of section 1006.261, Florida |
| 96 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 97 | 1006.261 Use of school buses for public purposes.-- |
| 98 | (3) When the buses are used for nonschool purposes other |
| 99 | than the transportation of the transportation disadvantaged, the |
| 100 | flashing red lights and white strobe lights shall not be used, |
| 101 | and the "School Bus" inscriptions on the front and rear of the |
| 102 | buses and any sign of sponsorship under s. 1006.273 shall be |
| 103 | covered or concealed. |
| 104 | Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |