Florida Senate - 2021                                     SB 814
       
       
        
       By Senator Hutson
       
       
       
       
       
       7-00005A-21                                            2021814__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to air-conditioning systems in school
    3         buses; amending s. 1006.25, F.S.; requiring that all
    4         school buses be equipped with air-conditioning systems
    5         that meet certain specifications beginning in a
    6         specified school year; requiring the State Board of
    7         Education to adopt by rule air-conditioning system
    8         specifications; providing an effective date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Section 1006.25, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   13  read:
   14         1006.25 School buses.—School buses shall be defined and
   15  meet specifications as follows:
   16         (1) DEFINITION.—For the purpose of this part, a “school
   17  bus” is a motor vehicle regularly used for the transportation of
   18  prekindergarten disability program and kindergarten through
   19  grade 12 students of the public schools to and from school or to
   20  and from school activities, and owned, operated, rented,
   21  contracted, or leased by any district school board, except:
   22         (a) Passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, and
   23  trucks as defined in 49 C.F.R. part 571.
   24         (b) Motor vehicles subject to, and meeting all requirements
   25  of, the United States Department of Transportation, Federal
   26  Motor Carrier Safety Regulations under Title 49, Code of Federal
   27  Regulations and operated by carriers operating under the
   28  jurisdiction of these regulations but not used exclusively for
   29  the transportation of public school students.
   30         (2) SPECIFICATIONS.—Each school bus as defined in 49 C.F.R.
   31  part 571 and subsection (1) that is rented, leased, purchased,
   32  or contracted for must meet the applicable federal motor vehicle
   33  safety standards and other specifications as prescribed by rules
   34  of the State Board of Education.
   35         (3) STANDARDS FOR LEASED VEHICLES.—A motor vehicle owned
   36  and operated by a county or municipal transit authority that is
   37  leased by the district school board for transportation of public
   38  school students must meet such standards as the State Board of
   39  Education establishes by rule. A school bus authorized by a
   40  district school board to carry passengers other than school
   41  students must have the words “School Bus” and any other signs
   42  and insignia that mark or designate it as a school bus covered,
   43  removed, or otherwise concealed while such passengers are being
   44  transported.
   45         (4) OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEMS.—Students may be
   46  transported only in designated seating positions, except as
   47  provided in s. 1006.22(12), and must use the occupant crash
   48  protection system provided by the manufacturer, which system
   49  must comply with the requirements of 49 C.F.R. part 571 or with
   50  specifications of the State Board of Education.
   51         (5) AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEMS.—Beginning with the 2022-2023
   52  school year, each school bus must be equipped with a fully
   53  functional air-conditioning system. The State Board of Education
   54  shall adopt by rule, and each school bus must meet,
   55  specifications for school bus air-conditioning systems.
   56         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.