Senate Bill sb2088c1

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2088

    By the Committee on Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Aronberg





    581-2567-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to school bus safety; creating

  3         the "Diana Kautz Student Safety Sponsors Act";

  4         creating s. 1006.273, F.S.; providing for

  5         district school boards to adopt policies for

  6         private sponsorship of described seat belt

  7         assemblies or other safety equipment on school

  8         buses; providing for a sponsorship fee;

  9         providing for use of moneys collected;

10         providing for signage on the exterior of the

11         school bus acknowledging sponsorship; providing

12         for design and size of the signage by local

13         school board policy; limiting the liability of

14         sponsors; amending s. 1006.25, F.S.; requiring

15         sponsor signs to be covered when school buses

16         are transporting passengers who are not school

17         students; revising the requirement that

18         students use the crash protection system on a

19         school bus; amending s. 1006.261, F.S.;

20         requiring sponsor signs to be covered when

21         school buses are used for nonschool purposes;

22         providing an effective date.

23  

24  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

25  

26         Section 1.  This act may be cited as the "Diana Kautz

27  Student Safety Sponsors Act."

28         Section 2.  Section 1006.273, Florida Statutes, is

29  created to read:

30         1006.273  Crash protection systems or other safety

31  equipment; sponsorship.--A district school board may adopt

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2088
    581-2567-07




 1  policies providing for private sponsorship of the installation

 2  of crash protection equipment or other safety equipment on

 3  school buses pursuant to the provisions of this section.

 4         (1)(a)  Any person or business entity may sponsor the

 5  installation of seat belt assemblies or other safety equipment

 6  on a school bus by paying a sponsorship fee as prescribed by

 7  local school board policy. Proceeds from the collection of the

 8  fee shall be distributed as follows:

 9         1.  Up to 5 percent may be used to pay the cost of an

10  advertising agent involved with the transaction.

11         2.  Up to 45 percent shall be used to pay for the cost

12  of the seat belt assemblies or other safety equipment and the

13  cost of installation.

14         3.  The remaining funds shall be remitted to the state

15  for deposit into the General Revenue Fund to be used for

16  transportation purposes.

17         (b)  There may be up to four business entity sponsors

18  per school bus. Sponsorships or cosponsorships by individuals

19  shall be as provided by district school board policy.

20         (2)(a)  Upon request by the sponsor, the district

21  school board shall place signage on the exterior rear,

22  lower-quarter panels of the school bus acknowledging the

23  sponsor and, if the sponsor is a business entity, bearing the

24  logo of the business entity. However, no sponsor shall be

25  required to have his or her name or the name of the business

26  entity placed on the school bus.

27         (b)  The acknowledgment shall bear the wording "Safety

28  equipment sponsored by" followed by the name of the sponsor.

29         (c)  The design and size of the signage shall be as

30  prescribed by local school board policy.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2088
    581-2567-07




 1         (3)  If sponsorship is applied to seat belt assembly,

 2  the school bus must be equipped with a seat belt assembly that

 3  meets the requirements for type 2 seat belt assemblies

 4  established under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.

 5  209, 49 C.F.R. s. 571.209, or with any other pelvic and upper

 6  torso restraint system approved by the Federal Government in a

 7  number sufficient to allow each student who is being

 8  transported to use a separate pelvic and upper torso restraint

 9  system.

10         (4)  Sponsorship under this section shall not impose or

11  imply any duty or responsibility on the sponsor for

12  installation or use of any seat belt assembly or other safety

13  equipment on any school bus, and, in any action relating to

14  the installation, use, disuse, or misuse of any seat belt

15  assembly or other safety equipment on a school bus, no

16  liability shall accrue to any person or business entity

17  because that person or entity is a sponsor under this section.

18         Section 3.  Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1006.25,

19  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

20         1006.25  School buses.--School buses shall be defined

21  and meet specifications as follows:

22         (3)  STANDARDS FOR LEASED VEHICLES.--A motor vehicle

23  owned and operated by a county or municipal transit authority

24  that is leased by the district school board for transportation

25  of public school students must meet such standards as the

26  State Board of Education establishes by rule. A school bus

27  authorized by a district school board to carry passengers

28  other than school students must have the words "School Bus"

29  and any other signs and insignia that mark or designate it as

30  a school bus and any sign of sponsorship under s. 1006.273

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 2088
    581-2567-07




 1  covered, removed, or otherwise concealed while such passengers

 2  are being transported.

 3         (4)  OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEMS.--Students may be

 4  transported only in designated seating positions, except as

 5  provided in s. 1006.22(12), and must use the occupant crash

 6  protection system installed in the vehicle provided by the

 7  manufacturer, which system must comply with the requirements

 8  of 49 C.F.R. part 571 or with specifications of the State

 9  Board of Education.

10         Section 4.  Subsection (3) of section 1006.261, Florida

11  Statutes, is amended to read:

12         1006.261  Use of school buses for public purposes.--

13         (3)  When the buses are used for nonschool purposes

14  other than the transportation of the transportation

15  disadvantaged, the flashing red lights and white strobe lights

16  shall not be used, and the "School Bus" inscriptions on the

17  front and rear of the buses and any sign of sponsorship under

18  s. 1006.273 shall be covered or concealed.

19         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

20  

21          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
22                         Senate Bill 2088

23                                 

24  This committee substitute broadens sponsorship beyond seat
    belt assemblies to include other safety equipment on buses.
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