On January 21, HB 1710 (Krizek), which instructs the Virginia Board of Education to make regulations requiring each new public school bus purchased to be equipped with a seat belt consisting of a lap belt and shoulder strap or harness in every seat was reported from the House Education Committee on a 14-8 vote. As previously stated, the bill would also require that every School Board also ensure that such seatbelt equipment is present in every school bus by July 2037.
Action Required – VACo Members please contact your Delegates and express opposition to HB 1710. The bill has been referred to House Appropriations Committee’s Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee. If communicating via letter or email, please send a copy to Jeremy Bennett at jbennett@vaco.org.
Key Points
- While some localities have already begun to voluntarily move in this direction, most localities have not.
- Upgrading a school division’s fleet of school buses to include new seat belts or purchasing new buses to comply would create a significant fiscal impact to localities.
VACo Contact: Jeremy Bennett