Bill Text: IA SF2047 | 2023-2024 | 90th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to school buses and other vehicles used to transport pupils.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-01-23 - Subcommittee recommends passage. []. [SF2047 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2023-SF2047-Introduced.html
Senate
File
2047
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
2047
BY
DAWSON
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
school
buses
and
other
vehicles
used
to
1
transport
pupils.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
TLSB
5666XS
(3)
90
th/ns
S.F.
2047
Section
1.
Section
321.1,
subsection
69,
paragraph
d,
Code
1
2024,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
d.
New
or
used
motor
vehicles
designed
to
carry
not
more
3
than
ten
twelve
persons
as
passengers,
including
the
driver,
4
or
used
passenger
vans
designed
to
carry
not
more
than
twelve
5
persons
as
passengers,
including
the
driver,
either
school
6
owned
or
privately
owned,
which
are
used
to
transport
pupils
7
to
activity
events
in
which
the
pupils
are
participants
or
8
used
to
transport
pupils
to
their
homes
in
case
of
illness
or
9
other
emergency
situations.
The
vehicles
operated
under
the
10
provisions
of
this
paragraph
shall
be
operated
by
employees
of
11
the
school
district
who
are
specifically
approved
by
the
local
12
superintendent
of
schools
for
the
assignment.
13
Sec.
2.
Section
321.373,
subsection
2,
Code
2024,
is
amended
14
to
read
as
follows:
15
2.
Rules
prescribed
for
school
buses
shall
provide
16
standards
for
structural
strength,
materials,
and
insulation
17
of
the
school
bus
body;
color;
seat
and
aisle
arrangement;
18
dimension
and
construction
of
service
door;
control
of
the
19
front
door
or
doors;
emergency
door
and
its
location
and
20
construction;
windows;
roof
ventilators;
heaters;
location,
21
filling,
and
draining
of
the
fuel
tank;
bumpers
and
how
they
22
shall
be
attached
to
the
bus;
lettering
and
identification
23
of
the
bus;
stop
signal
arm;
and
warning
lights
and
flashing
24
lights
;
and
shall
authorize
the
use
of
vehicles
modified
or
25
manufactured
to
accommodate
wheelchair
access
with
or
without
26
the
use
of
a
ramp
.
27
Sec.
3.
Section
321.373,
subsection
3,
paragraphs
a
and
c,
28
Code
2024,
are
amended
to
read
as
follows:
29
a.
The
rules
prescribed
for
school
buses
shall
include
30
special
rules
for
passenger
automobiles,
and
other
vehicles
31
designed
to
carry
ten
twelve
or
fewer
persons,
including
the
32
driver,
when
used
as
school
buses.
33
c.
The
rules
shall
allow
new
or
used
passenger
vans
designed
34
to
carry
twelve
or
fewer
passengers,
including
the
driver,
and
35
-1-
LSB
5666XS
(3)
90
th/ns
1/
3
S.F.
2047
weighing
ten
thousand
pounds
or
less,
to
be
used
as
school
1
buses
if
the
van
does
not
carry
more
passengers
than
there
are
2
safety
belts
or
safety
harnesses
in
the
van
as
installed
by
3
the
manufacturer.
The
operator
of
the
van
shall
comply
with
4
the
qualification,
licensing,
and
instruction
requirements
set
5
forth
in
sections
321.375
and
321.376
.
6
EXPLANATION
7
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
8
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
9
Under
current
law,
every
vehicle
operated
for
the
10
transportation
of
children
to
or
from
school
is
considered
11
a
school
bus,
with
limited
exceptions
including
new
or
used
12
motor
vehicles
designed
to
carry
not
more
than
10
persons
13
as
passengers,
including
the
driver,
or
used
passenger
vans
14
designed
to
carry
not
more
than
12
persons
as
passengers,
15
including
the
driver,
which
are
used
to
transport
pupils
to
16
activity
events
or
in
emergency
situations
if
the
vehicle
is
17
operated
by
an
approved
employee
of
the
school
district.
18
This
bill
instead
excludes
from
the
definition
of
“school
19
bus”
all
new
or
used
motor
vehicles
designed
to
carry
not
more
20
than
12
persons
as
passengers,
including
the
driver,
which
21
are
used
to
transport
pupils
to
activity
events
in
which
the
22
pupils
are
participants,
or
used
to
transport
pupils
to
their
23
homes
in
case
of
illness
or
other
emergency
situations.
The
24
bill
makes
corresponding
changes
to
related
provisions
in
Code
25
section
321.373.
In
accordance
with
current
law,
the
vehicles
26
must
be
operated
by
employees
of
the
school
district
who
are
27
specifically
approved
by
the
local
superintendent
of
schools
28
for
the
assignment.
29
Current
department
of
education
(DE)
administrative
rules
30
prohibit
the
use
of
ramps
on
a
vehicle
operated
as
a
school
31
bus,
except
when
used
on
the
MV-1
purpose-built
wheelchair
32
accessible
vehicle
(281
IAC
44.4(2)(g)).
33
The
bill
requires
DE
rules
to
authorize
the
use
of
vehicles
34
modified
or
manufactured
to
accommodate
wheelchair
access
with
35
-2-
LSB
5666XS
(3)
90
th/ns
2/
3
