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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1920 FILED ON: 1/18/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2295 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Antonio F. D. Cabral |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act to require seat belts on school buses. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Antonio F. D. Cabral13th Bristol1/18/2023Christopher Hendricks11th Bristol1/26/2023Carol A. Doherty3rd Bristol1/30/2023Paul A. Schmid, III8th Bristol2/1/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex2/1/2023Brian M. Ashe2nd Hampden2/3/2023Carole A. Fiola6th Bristol2/7/2023Michelle M. DuBois10th Plymouth2/7/2023Patrick Joseph Kearney4th Plymouth2/16/2023 1 of 3 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1920 FILED ON: 1/18/2023 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2295 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Cabral of New Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2295) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Antonio F. D. Cabral and others for legislation to require seat belts on school buses. Public |
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| 20 | 20 | | Safety and Homeland Security. |
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| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
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| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | An Act to require seat belts on school buses. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 7B of Chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following clauses: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 3 (19) as of September 1, 2025, every school bus transporting students to or from a public, |
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| 32 | 32 | | 4charter or vocational school shall be equipped with a lap-shoulder belt for each permanent |
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| 33 | 33 | | 5seating accommodation designed and installed in compliance with United States motor vehicle |
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| 34 | 34 | | 6D.O.T. safety standards, which seat belt shall be always fastened about each passenger during |
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| 35 | 35 | | 7vehicle operation. |
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| 36 | 36 | | 8 (20) as of September 1, 2025, every school bus transporting students to or from a private |
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| 37 | 37 | | 9or parochial school shall be equipped with a lap-shoulder belt for each permanent seating |
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| 38 | 38 | | 10accommodation designed and installed in compliance with United States motor vehicle D.O.T. |
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| 39 | 39 | | 11safety standards, which seat belt shall be fastened about each passenger at all times during |
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| 40 | 40 | | 12vehicle operation. 2 of 3 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 13 SECTION 2. Section 7B of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further amended |
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| 42 | 42 | | 14by inserting after the word “practices”, in line 120, the following words: |
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| 43 | 43 | | 15 “, which shall include instruction in the use of lap-shoulder belts,” |
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| 44 | 44 | | 16 SECTION 3. Section 7L of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby amended by |
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| 45 | 45 | | 17inserting after the word “seated”, in line 6, the following words: - |
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| 46 | 46 | | 18 “And, if traveling in a bus required by this chapter to have lap-shoulder belts, wearing a |
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| 47 | 47 | | 19lap-shoulder belt which is properly adjusted and fastened according to the manufacturer’s |
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| 48 | 48 | | 20instructions”. |
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| 49 | 49 | | 21 SECTION 4. Section 7AA of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby amended by |
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| 50 | 50 | | 22inserting after the word “bus”, in line 12, the following words: - |
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| 51 | 51 | | 23 “, prior to September 1, 2025, unless such school bus is equipped with a lap-shoulder belt |
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| 52 | 52 | | 24system”. |
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| 53 | 53 | | 25 SECTION 5. Section 4 of chapter 175E, as so appearing, is hereby amended, by adding |
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| 54 | 54 | | 26the following subsection: |
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| 55 | 55 | | 27 (f) For motor vehicle insurance rates for school buses, the commissioner shall develop |
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| 56 | 56 | | 28and promulgate a schedule of appropriate reductions in premium charges to account for the |
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| 57 | 57 | | 29decreased risk of injury associated with the installation of a lap-shoulder belt system approved by |
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| 58 | 58 | | 30the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in any such bus so equipped. The |
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| 59 | 59 | | 31schedule shall be promulgated prior to September 1, 2025, provided that an owner of any school |
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| 60 | 60 | | 32bus so equipped prior to the promulgation of said schedule may apply to the commissioner and |
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| 61 | 61 | | 33receive an appropriate reduction in the premium charge. 3 of 3 |
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| 62 | 62 | | 34 |
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| 63 | 63 | | 35 |
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| 64 | 64 | | 36 |
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