H-1863.1
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1057
State of Washington
66th Legislature
2019 Regular Session
ByHouse Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Mosbrucker, Orwall, Barkis, Stanford, Valdez, and Leavitt)
READ FIRST TIME 02/20/19.
AN ACT Relating to school bus safety; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. (1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the Washington state institute for public policy, in collaboration with the Washington traffic safety commission, shall conduct an examination of school bus safety issues associated with seat belts in all seating positions.
(2) The examination required by this section must include:
(a) A review of the best available science regarding seat belt use in all seating positions in school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than ten thousand pounds;
(b) A review of laws and funding practices in other states regarding: (i) The purchase of school buses with seat belts in all seating positions; (ii) retrofitting existing school buses with seat belts in all seating positions; (iii) student use of seat belts in all seating positions; and (iv) increases or decreases in student injuries attributable to the states' requirements;
(c) An identification of insurance and liability issues associated with mandating the purchase of school buses with seat belts in all seating positions, retrofitting existing school buses with seat belts in all seating positions, and mandating the use of seat belts in all seating positions;
(d) An identification of route scheduling issues associated with mandating the use of seat belts in all seating positions; and
(e) An identification of the financial issues associated with mandating the purchase of school buses with seat belts in all seating positions, retrofitting existing school buses with seat belts in all seating positions, or both, including costs, retrofitting and compatibility issues, depreciation factors, and financial impacts associated with potential changes in passenger capacity due to mandated seat belt use.
(3) The Washington state institute for public policy must report findings and recommendations resulting from the examination to the superintendent of public instruction and, in accordance with RCW 43.01.036, the education and transportation committees of the house of representatives and the senate by November 15, 2020.
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