BP BHEAD INT H

AN ACT Relating to the regulation of private school buses; amending RCW 46.32.010 and 46.37.193; adding a new section to chapter 46.04 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 46.37 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 46.04 RCW to read as follows:

"Private school bus" means a vehicle with a seating capacity of more than sixteen persons, including the driver, used regularly to transport students to and from a private school or in connection with private school activities.

Sec. 2. RCW 46.32.010 and 1993 c 403 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The chief of the Washington state patrol may operate, maintain, or designate, throughout the state of Washington, stations for the inspection of school buses, private school buses, and private carrier buses, with respect to vehicle equipment, drivers' qualifications, and hours of service and to set reasonable times when inspection of vehicles shall be performed.

(2) The state patrol may inspect a commercial motor vehicle while the vehicle is operating on the public highways of this state with respect to vehicle equipment, hours of service, and driver qualifications.

(3) It is unlawful for any vehicle required to be inspected to be operated over the public highways of this state unless and until it has been approved periodically as to equipment.

(4) Inspections shall be performed by a responsible employee of the chief of the Washington state patrol, who shall be duly authorized and who shall have authority to secure and withhold, with written notice to the director of licensing, the certificate of license registration and license plates of any vehicle found to be defective in equipment so as to be unsafe or unfit to be operated upon the highways of this state, and it shall be unlawful for any person to operate such vehicle unless and until it has been placed in a condition satisfactory to pass a subsequent equipment inspection. The police officer in charge of such vehicle equipment inspection shall grant to the operator of such defective vehicle the privilege to move such vehicle to a place for repair under such restrictions as may be reasonably necessary.

(5) In the event any insignia, sticker, or other marker is adopted to be displayed upon vehicles in connection with the inspection of vehicle equipment, it shall be displayed as required by the rules of the chief of the Washington state patrol, and it is a traffic infraction for any person to mutilate, destroy, remove, or otherwise interfere with the display thereof.

(6) It is a traffic infraction for any person to refuse to have his motor vehicle examined as required by the chief of the Washington state patrol, or, after having had it examined, to refuse to place an insignia, sticker, or other marker, if issued, upon the vehicle, or fraudulently to obtain any such insignia, sticker, or other marker, or to refuse to place his motor vehicle in proper condition after having had it examined, or in any manner, to fail to conform to the provisions of this chapter.

(7) It is a traffic infraction for any person to perform false or improvised repairs, or repairs in any manner not in accordance with acceptable and customary repair practices, upon a motor vehicle.

Sec. 3. RCW 46.37.193 and 1990 c 241 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

Every school bus, private school bus, and private carrier bus, in addition to any other equipment or distinctive markings required by this chapter, shall bear upon the front and rear thereof, above the windows thereof, plainly visible signs containing only the words "school bus" on a school bus, only the words "private school bus" or "private carrier bus" on a private school bus, and only the words "private carrier bus" on a private carrier bus in letters not less than eight inches in height, and in addition shall be equipped with visual signals meeting the requirements of RCW 46.37.190.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 46.37 RCW to read as follows:

A private school bus is subject to the requirements set forth in the National Minimum Standards for School Buses established by the national safety council in effect at the time of the bus manufacture, as adopted by rule by reference by the chief of the Washington state patrol. The requirements may not be less than those set forth in the 1980 edition of the National Minimum Standards for School Buses established by the national safety council regardless of the date of manufacture.