2. Any person who conducts a refurbishment on a school bus pursuant to section 1 of this act shall certify to the New Jersey Department of Education, Bureau of Pupil Transportation and the user that the refurbishment conforms to the standards established by the Division of Motor Vehicles.

    3. a. The Director to the Division of Motor Vehicles shall establish a system for the registration of persons who engage in the business of refurbishing school buses. A person shall not engage in the business of refurbishing school buses, or act as a refurbisher of school buses, pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. )(now pending before the Legislature as this bill) unless the person is registered with the division.

    b. An application for registration shall be made on forms prescribed by the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles. An applicant for registration may be charged a fee set by the director. The director shall establish standards and qualifications for registration and shall refuse to register any applicant unless the person meets these standards and qualifications.

    c. The director shall issue a certificate of registration to every person registered under this subsection, and the certificate shall be valid for a period of two years from the date of issuance.

    4. The Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Department of Education, shall promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act. The rules and regulations shall include, but not be limited to: standards for the proper and safe refurbishment of school buses; the amount of the fee to be charged to applicants for registration as a refurbisher of school buses; and the standards and qualifications necessary for the issuance of a certificate of registration as a refurbisher of school buses.

    5. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill would permit the refurbishment of school buses manufactured after April 1, 1977, other than those of the transit type whose gross vehicle weight exceeds 25,000 pounds, in order to extend the amount of time they may be used for pupil transportation purposes beyond the current limit of 12 years. Under this bill, a school bus that has been refurbished according to standards established by the Division of Motor Vehicles may be used for pupil transportation purposes for an additional 12 years.

    The bill also provides for the registration of persons in the business of school bus refurbishment. The Division of Motor Vehicles will set the standards and qualifications for registration that must be met in order to receive the certificate of registration. A certificate of registration will be valid for a two year period.

    The person who performs the refurbishment on the school bus will also be required to certify to the Department of Education, Bureau of Pupil Transportation and the user that the refurbishment conforms to the standards established by the Division of Motor Vehicles.

Permits the refurbishment of school buses to extend the life of the bus by 12 years.