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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 2, 2024 11:55 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Natalie Mihalek |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Requiring Seatbelts on New School Buses |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to require seatbelts on new school buses. Currently, the federal government requires three-point seatbelts to be installed in school buses under 10,000 lbs.; however, above this weight, states and local jurisdictions are left to decide whether or not school buses should require seatbelts. My legislation seeks to further protect our students in the Commonwealth by requiring that new school buses of 10,000 lbs. or more be equipped with a three-point seatbelt for each passenger. I understand that this can be a costly endeavor, therefore the seatbelt requirement would only apply to new school buses with a model year of 2029 or later. While the compartmental design of seats on school buses does protect students from front and rear-end collisions, students are not well protected from side-impact collisions. The National Transportation Safety Board recommended in both 2018 and 2022 that state governments require seatbelts on school buses over 10,000 lbs. due to safety concerns during side-impact collisions. To this end, several states have passed legislation to protect their students, which includes Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. As for requirements under my legislation, seatbelts shall meet federal and PennDOT standards, and exceptions are permitted for alternative safety restraints for individuals with disabilities and small children. My legislation will also include liability protections for school bus drivers, bus contractors, and schools when someone is injured by the misuse of a seatbelt. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation that will help to protect our children. |