Florida Senate - 2016 SB 1676
By Senator Sachs
34-00906-16 20161676__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to child transportation safety;
3 providing a short title; amending s. 316.6135, F.S.;
4 requiring vehicles used to transport children by
5 public entities or by private organizations for hire
6 to be equipped with a certain alarm system by a
7 specified date; requiring the Department of Highway
8 Safety and Motor Vehicles to adopt rules and maintain
9 a list of alarm manufacturers and approved alarm
10 systems; amending s. 402.305, F.S.; requiring vehicles
11 used by child care facilities and large family child
12 care homes to be equipped with a certain alarm system
13 by a specified date; requiring the Department of
14 Children and Families to adopt rules and maintain a
15 list of alarm manufacturers and approved alarm
16 systems; amending s. 1006.22, F.S.; requiring school
17 buses to be equipped with a certain alarm system by a
18 specified date; requiring the State Board of Education
19 to adopt rules and maintain a list of alarm
20 manufacturers and approved alarm systems; providing an
21 effective date.
22
23 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
24
25 Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Haile Brockington
26 Act.”
27 Section 2. Subsection (8) is added to section 316.6135,
28 Florida Statutes, to read:
29 316.6135 Leaving children unattended or unsupervised in
30 motor vehicles; penalty; authority of law enforcement officer.—
31 (8) By January 1, 2017, each vehicle used to transport
32 children by public entities or by private organizations for
33 hire, including schools, camps, and churches, must be equipped
34 with an alarm system approved by the department which prompts
35 the driver to inspect the interior and the exterior of the
36 vehicle for the presence of children before the driver exits or
37 departs from the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. The
38 department shall adopt rules to administer this subsection and
39 shall maintain a list of alarm manufacturers and alarm systems
40 required by this subsection that are approved to be installed in
41 such vehicles.
42 Section 3. Subsection (10) of section 402.305, Florida
43 Statutes, is amended to read:
44 402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.—
45 (10) TRANSPORTATION SAFETY.—
46 (a) Minimum standards shall include requirements for child
47 restraints or seat belts in vehicles used by child care
48 facilities and large family child care homes to transport
49 children, requirements for annual inspections of the vehicles,
50 limitations on the number of children in the vehicles, and
51 accountability for children being transported.
52 (b)1. By January 1, 2017, vehicles used by child care
53 facilities and large family child care homes must be equipped
54 with an alarm system approved by the department which prompts
55 the driver to inspect the interior and the exterior of the
56 vehicle for the presence of children before the driver exits or
57 departs from the immediate vicinity of the vehicle.
58 2. The department shall adopt rules to administer this
59 paragraph and shall maintain a list of alarm manufacturers and
60 alarm systems required by this paragraph that are approved to be
61 installed in such vehicles.
62 Section 4. Subsection (10) of section 1006.22, Florida
63 Statutes, is amended to read:
64 1006.22 Safety and health of students being transported.
65 Maximum regard for safety and adequate protection of health are
66 primary requirements that must be observed by district school
67 boards in routing buses, appointing drivers, and providing and
68 operating equipment, in accordance with all requirements of law
69 and rules of the State Board of Education in providing
70 transportation pursuant to s. 1006.21:
71 (10) Each district school board shall designate and adopt a
72 specific plan for adequate examination, maintenance, and repair
73 of transportation equipment. Examination of the mechanical and
74 safety condition of each school bus must be made as required
75 pursuant to rule of the State Board of Education. The State
76 Board of Education shall base the rule on student safety
77 considerations.
78 (a) By January 1, 2017, each school bus must be equipped
79 with an alarm system approved by the State Board of Education
80 which prompts the driver to inspect the interior and the
81 exterior of the bus for the presence of children before the
82 driver exits or departs from the immediate vicinity of the bus.
83 (b) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
84 administer paragraph (a) and shall maintain a list of alarm
85 manufacturers and alarm systems required by paragraph (a) that
86 are approved to be installed in school buses.
87 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.