SENATE, No. 1642

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED OCTOBER 28, 1996

 

 

By Senator KOSCO

 

 

An Act concerning seat heights and seat belts on school buses and amending P.L.1992, c.92.

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. Section 3 of P.L. 1992, c.92 is amended to read as follows:

    3. This act shall take effect immediately[, but section 1 shall apply only to school buses with a chassis manufacture date of October, 1992 or thereafter].

(cf: P.L.1993, c.307, s.1)

 

    2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month after enactment.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    The purpose of this bill is to enhance school bus safety by requiring the passenger seats on all existing school buses to have a seat back at least 28 inches high, or 24 inches if measured from the seating reference point, and equipped with a lap belt type seat belt. Currently, only buses with a chassis manufactured in or after October, 1992 must conform to these requirements. Under the bill, buses to which the law did not previously apply would need to be retrofitted with the proper seats and seat belts.

 

 

                             

 

Requires all school buses to be equipped with seats of a minimum height and seat belts.