RICHMOND, Va. — A state legislator has called upon the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the effectiveness of requiring seat belts on school buses in Virginia.
Del. Scott Lingamfelter (R-Prince William) pre-filed House Joint Resolution No. 34 in late December, and it is scheduled to be offered to the commission on Wednesday.
In conducting its study, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission would have to do the following:
• Assess the implementation of mandatory school bus seat belt laws in California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and Texas;
• Consult and summarize the findings of past and current studies on the effectiveness of requiring seat belts on school buses;
• Consult and summarize any guidance on the subject from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and
• Solicit input from each local school board on the effectiveness and cost of requiring seat belts on every school bus.
The commission would have to complete its meetings by Nov. 30, 2014, and the chairman would have to submit an executive summary of the commission's findings and recommendations to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems by the first day of the General Assembly’s 2015 regular session. The summary would be required to state whether the commission intends to submit to the General Assembly and the governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document.
The school board chairman for a local district told the Sun Gazette that she and her colleagues believe that mandating seat belts on school buses is a “bad idea.”
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