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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 480 FILED ON: 1/9/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2574
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Antonio F. D. Cabral
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to require seat belts on school buses.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Antonio F. D. Cabral13th Bristol1/9/2025Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex2/24/2025 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 480 FILED ON: 1/9/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2574
By Representative Cabral of New Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2574) of
Antonio F. D. Cabral and Carmine Lawrence Gentile for legislation to require seat belts on
school buses. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2295 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act to require seat belts on school buses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 7B of Chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following clauses:
3 (19) as of September 1, 2027, every school bus transporting students to or from a public,
4charter or vocational school shall be equipped with a lap-shoulder belt for each permanent
5seating accommodation designed and installed in compliance with United States motor vehicle
6D.O.T. safety standards, which seat belt shall be always fastened about each passenger during
7vehicle operation.
8 (20) as of September 1, 2027, every school bus transporting students to or from a private
9or parochial school shall be equipped with a lap-shoulder belt for each permanent seating 2 of 3
10accommodation designed and installed in compliance with United States motor vehicle D.O.T.
11safety standards, which seat belt shall be fastened about each passenger at all times during
12vehicle operation.
13 SECTION 2. Section 7B of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further amended
14by inserting after the word “practices”, in line 120, the following words:
15 “, which shall include instruction in the use of lap-shoulder belts,”
16 SECTION 3. Section 7L of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
17inserting after the word “seated”, in line 6, the following words: -
18 “And, if traveling in a bus required by this chapter to have lap-shoulder belts, wearing a
19lap-shoulder belt which is properly adjusted and fastened according to the manufacturer’s
20instructions”.
21 SECTION 4. Section 7AA of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
22inserting after the word “bus”, in line 12, the following words: -
23 “, prior to September 1, 2026, unless such school bus is equipped with a lap-shoulder belt
24system”.
25 SECTION 5. Section 4 of chapter 175E, as so appearing, is hereby amended, by adding
26the following subsection:
27 (f) For motor vehicle insurance rates for school buses, the commissioner shall develop
28and promulgate a schedule of appropriate reductions in premium charges to account for the
29decreased risk of injury associated with the installation of a lap-shoulder belt system approved by
30the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in any such bus so equipped. The 3 of 3
31schedule shall be promulgated prior to September 1, 2025, provided that an owner of any school
32bus so equipped prior to the promulgation of said schedule may apply to the commissioner and
33receive an appropriate reduction in the premium charge.