Bill Text: TX SB858 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to safety standards for private passenger van services that transport students to and from public primary and secondary schools.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-01 - Referred to Transportation [SB858 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-SB858-Introduced.html
| 88R7752 CXP-D | ||
| By: Alvarado | S.B. No. 858 | |
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| relating to safety standards for private passenger van services | ||
| that transport students to and from public primary and secondary | ||
| schools. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 34, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
| Section 34.0025 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 34.0025. SAFETY STANDARDS FOR PRIVATE PASSENGER VAN | ||
| SERVICES. (a) The Department of Public Safety, with the advice of | ||
| the agency, shall: | ||
| (1) establish safety standards for private passenger | ||
| van services that transport students to and from school for | ||
| compensation; and | ||
| (2) develop an annual two-hour training course on | ||
| transportation safety for operators and employees of a private | ||
| passenger van service described by Subdivision (1). | ||
| (b) An operator of a private passenger van service described | ||
| by Subsection (a)(1) may not transport students to and from school | ||
| unless: | ||
| (1) the operator is registered with the secretary of | ||
| state to transact business in this state; | ||
| (2) the operator maintains commercial insurance; | ||
| (3) the operator meets or exceeds the safety standards | ||
| established under Subsection (a); and | ||
| (4) the operator and each employee of the operator who | ||
| transports students for the private passenger van service complete | ||
| the annual training course on transportation safety developed under | ||
| Subsection (a). | ||
| (c) A school district shall provide to the parent of each | ||
| district student at the beginning of each school year or on | ||
| enrollment of the student after the beginning of a school year | ||
| written notice stating that the district may not release a student | ||
| to an operator of a private passenger van service described by | ||
| Subsection (a)(1) unless the district receives a signed | ||
| authorization letter from the parent that includes: | ||
| (1) the name of the student; | ||
| (2) the name and contact information of the operator; | ||
| and | ||
| (3) an acknowledgement from the operator that the | ||
| operator is in compliance with the requirements of Subsection (b). | ||
| (d) The Department of Public Safety and the agency shall | ||
| jointly adopt rules to administer this section, including rules | ||
| defining "private passenger van service" for purposes of this | ||
| section. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2024-2025 | ||
| school year. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
