CHAPTER 26
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1
CHAPTER 26
( SB 18 )
AN ACT relating to school bus equipment.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
Section 1. KRS 156.153 is amended to read as follows:
(1) (a) All school buses for which bids are made or bid contracts awarded shall meet the standards and
specifications of the Kentucky Department of Education. The term "school bus," as used in this section,
shall mean any motor vehicle which meets the standards and specifications for school buses as provided
by law or by the standards or specifications of the Kentucky Department of Education authorized by
law and used solely in transporting school children and school employees to and from school under the
supervision and control and at the direction of school authorities, and shall further include school bus
accessory equipment and supplies and replacement equipment considered to be reasonably adaptable
for purchase from price contract agreements.
(b) The standards and specifications for accessory equipment and supplies and replacement equipment
under paragraph (a) of this subsection shall be based on federal safety standards and shall not
discriminate among manufacturers unless the Kentucky Department of Education finds evidence
that a specific manufacturer's product is defective or dangerous to use.
(c) The Kentucky Department of Education shall provide the list of standards and specifications for
accessory equipment and supplies and replacement equipment to the Finance and Administration
Cabinet for the purposes of maintaining the price contract list required under Section 2 of this Act.
(2) Except in cases of emergencies or for the transportation of students with disabilities, only school buses as
defined in subsection (1) of this section shall be used for transporting students to and from school along
regular bus routes. Districts may use district-owned vehicles that were designed and built by the manufacturer
for passenger transportation when transporting nine (9) or fewer passengers, including the driver, for approved
school activities. Vehicles used under this subsection shall be clearly marked as transporting students and shall
be safety inspected no less than once every thirty (30) days.
(3) As part of its regular procedure for establishing and updating school bus standards and specifications, the
Kentucky Department of Education shall consider allowing school buses to operate using clean transportation
fuels, as defined in KRS 186.750. If the department determines that school buses may operate using clean
transportation fuels while maintaining the same or a higher degree of safety as fuels currently allowed, it shall
update its standards and specifications to allow for such use.
SECTION 2. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 45A IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:
The Finance and Administration Cabinet shall compile and maintain a list detailing the price contracts for the
procurement of school bus accessory equipment and supplies and replacement equipment that meet the standards
and specifications adopted by the Kentucky Department of Education under Section 1 of this Act. The cabinet
shall provide districts with access to the list.
Signed by Governor March 29, 2024.