JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A bill is making its way through the General Assembly that would exempt the fuel used in school buses from the state fuel tax.

The legislation states that eligible school districts and bus companies that contract with school districts would receive a refund application indicating that the fuel they purchased was used exclusively for pupil transportation purposes.

In order to be eligible for the exemption, however, school districts would have to enter into an agreement with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education stating that after the agreement’s effective date, it will only purchase or lease new school buses equipped with lap-shoulder seat belts.

All revenue collected from the tax on sales of fuel that is exempt would be deposited in a trust fund — the “School Bus Motor Fuel Tax Exemption Fund” — and would be used solely for the purchase or lease of school buses equipped with the belts.