| 1 | 1 | | 1 of 1 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 480 FILED ON: 1/9/2025 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2574 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | Antonio F. D. Cabral |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | An Act to require seat belts on school buses. |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Antonio F. D. Cabral13th Bristol1/9/2025Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex2/24/2025 1 of 3 |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 480 FILED ON: 1/9/2025 |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2574 |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Cabral of New Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2574) of |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | Antonio F. D. Cabral and Carmine Lawrence Gentile for legislation to require seat belts on |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | school buses. Public Safety and Homeland Security. |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 2295 OF 2023-2024.] |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (2025-2026) |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | An Act to require seat belts on school buses. |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 7B of Chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following clauses: |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 3 (19) as of September 1, 2027, every school bus transporting students to or from a public, |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 4charter or vocational school shall be equipped with a lap-shoulder belt for each permanent |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 5seating accommodation designed and installed in compliance with United States motor vehicle |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 6D.O.T. safety standards, which seat belt shall be always fastened about each passenger during |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 7vehicle operation. |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | 8 (20) as of September 1, 2027, every school bus transporting students to or from a private |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | 9or parochial school shall be equipped with a lap-shoulder belt for each permanent seating 2 of 3 |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | 10accommodation designed and installed in compliance with United States motor vehicle D.O.T. |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | 11safety standards, which seat belt shall be fastened about each passenger at all times during |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 12vehicle operation. |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 13 SECTION 2. Section 7B of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further amended |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | 14by inserting after the word “practices”, in line 120, the following words: |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | 15 “, which shall include instruction in the use of lap-shoulder belts,” |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | 16 SECTION 3. Section 7L of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby amended by |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | 17inserting after the word “seated”, in line 6, the following words: - |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | 18 “And, if traveling in a bus required by this chapter to have lap-shoulder belts, wearing a |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | 19lap-shoulder belt which is properly adjusted and fastened according to the manufacturer’s |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | 20instructions”. |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | 21 SECTION 4. Section 7AA of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby amended by |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | 22inserting after the word “bus”, in line 12, the following words: - |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | 23 “, prior to September 1, 2026, unless such school bus is equipped with a lap-shoulder belt |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | 24system”. |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | 25 SECTION 5. Section 4 of chapter 175E, as so appearing, is hereby amended, by adding |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | 26the following subsection: |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | 27 (f) For motor vehicle insurance rates for school buses, the commissioner shall develop |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | 28and promulgate a schedule of appropriate reductions in premium charges to account for the |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | 29decreased risk of injury associated with the installation of a lap-shoulder belt system approved by |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | 30the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in any such bus so equipped. The 3 of 3 |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | 31schedule shall be promulgated prior to September 1, 2025, provided that an owner of any school |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | 32bus so equipped prior to the promulgation of said schedule may apply to the commissioner and |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | 33receive an appropriate reduction in the premium charge. |
|---|