PRINTER'S NO. 1063
No. 930 Session of 1975
INTRODUCED BY KOLTER, PETRARCA, SALOOM, DOMBROWSKI, MANDERINO
AND LAUDADIO, APRIL 7, 1975
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, APRIL 8, 1975
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of April 29, 1959 (P.L.58, No.32), entitled "An
2 act consolidating and revising the Vehicle Code, the Tractor
3 Code, the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Act and
4 other acts relating to the ownership, possession and use of
5 vehicles and tractors," further providing for qualifications
6 of school bus operators and funding of examinations.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Section 609, act of April 29, 1959 (P.L.58,
10 No.32), known as "The Vehicle Code," amended January 10, 1972
11 (1971 P.L.678, No.183), is amended to read:
12 Section 609. [Additional] Examinations for School Bus
13 Operators.--[After July 1, 1950, no] No person shall operate a
14 school bus carrying school children on the highways of this
15 Commonwealth unless he (1) shall have satisfactorily completed a
16 course of instruction and passed an [additional] examination for
17 school bus operators within the preceding five (5) years, to be
18 given by the secretary or such agency as [he may direct] may
19 meet Federal Department of Transportation standards of safety
20 including any recognized driver training school offering a
1 recognized home study course, including any State or Federal
2 transportation association of school bus operators, establishing
3 his fitness and competency to operate such school bus with
4 safety and his knowledge of the laws and regulations relating to
5 the operation of school buses; (2) carries a currently valid
6 school bus operator's certificate issued by the secretary
7 pursuant to such examination; (3) has satisfactorily passed a
8 physical examination to be given by the physician for the school
9 district by which he is employed; and (4) carries a certificate
10 issued by the examining physician at the time of examination
11 indicating that he has passed the prescribed physical
12 examination, including an examination of the eyes. Such
13 certificate issued by the examining physician shall be valid for
14 a period of one (1) year from the date of its issuance. The
15 provisions of this section shall not apply to operators employed
16 by any person or company holding a certificate of the
17 Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission or by any Municipality
18 Authority, Port Authority or Transportation Authority, who
19 operate over regular routes in scheduled service, even if such
20 operators also transport school children off such routes:
21 Provided, That such operators shall have passed periodically
22 administered physical examinations required by either the Public
23 Utility Commission, the Interstate Commerce Commission or the
24 department.
25 Penalty.--Any person violating any of the provisions of this
26 section, shall, upon summary conviction before a magistrate, be
27 sentenced to pay a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars
28 ($25.00) and not more than fifty dollars ($50.00) and costs of
29 prosecution, and, in default of the payment thereof, shall
30 undergo imprisonment for not less than ten (10) days and not
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1 more than twenty-five (25) days.
2 Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
3 Section 609.1. Funding of Examinations for School Bus
4 Operators.--(a) Funding for the completion of such a course of
5 instruction will be included as a chargeable item in the
6 contract between the operator and the school district.
7 (b) A minimum of ten (10) additional cost of operation days
8 per bus will be included as part of the contract for initial
9 training of new school bus operators.
10 (c) A minimum of five (5) additional cost of operation days
11 per bus will be included as part of the contract for refresher
12 courses for operators holding a current valid school bus
13 operator's license for the previous five (5) years.
14 (d) In no case shall funding be for more than the actual
15 cost of such training.
16 Section 3. School bus operators possessing valid school bus
17 operators' certificates on the effective date of this act may
18 continue to operate school buses until the expiration of such
19 certifications without completing the course of instruction
20 required by this amending act: Provided, That at no time shall a
21 person, who has been granted a limited license under the
22 provisions of section 619.4, operate a school bus.
23 Section 4. This act shall take effect in six months.
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