ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 1567

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: MAY 13, 1996

The Assembly Education Committee favorably reports Assembly Bill No. 1567 with committee amendments.

As amended by committee, this bill requires the installation of a crossing control arm on all school buses. A crossing control arm is a safety device which is attached to the right front corner of a school bus. Each time the bus door is opened, the arm extends outward from the front of the bus. Its purpose is to prevent children who must cross the street after exiting the bus from walking too close to the front where the driver may be unable to see them.

The bill provides that each school district which owns and operates its own buses and any school bus contractor will receive reimbursement from the Department of Education in an amount not to exceed $300 per bus for the cost of equipping school buses currently in operation with a crossing control arm.

The committee amended the bill to provide that the requirement for the installation of a crossing control arm will apply to all school buses and not just newly manufactured buses and delete the provision of the original bill which eliminated the requirement for a crossing control arm on school bus routes if there are no pupils who cross a street prior to boarding or leaving the bus. The amendments also provide for reimbursement by the Department of Education in an amount not to exceed $300 per bus for the installation of crossing control arms on buses currently in operation.