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Bill

SB 498

Relating to accessory dwelling units.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by David Smith

Require three-point seat belts on all new school buses purchased from July 1, 2027, and educate students on proper use.

In committee upon adjournment.
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 498

SB 498 — Motor Vehicles: School Buses — Seat Belts

Status: Hearing scheduled (2/04 at 1:00 p.m.) | Introduced: Feb 19, 2025

Main purpose

Require three‑point passenger seat belts on newly purchased school buses, add student instruction about school‑bus seat‑belt use, and limit civil liability for school bus operators/school entities for failure to ensure belt use.

Key provisions

  • Equipment requirement — Every school bus purchased on or after July 1, 2027 and registered in the State must be equipped with three‑point seat belts (lap and shoulder) for each seat, and those belts must be accessible to passengers.
  • Safety education — Local school systems must include instruction on school bus safety and the proper use of seat belts as part of their existing safety education programs.
  • Civil liability limitation — The failure of a school bus operator to ensure that an occupant was wearing a seat belt may not, by itself, be the basis of a civil action for damages against the bus operator, a school, a school district, or a municipality.
  • Definitions/technical — “Seat belt” is defined broadly (belt, strap, harness, or like device); other small technical terminology changes to conform with the new requirement.

Who is affected

  • Local school systems and boards of education (procurement, training, and safety curricula).
  • Local budgets: school districts that procure replacement buses will bear added cost.
  • Bus manufacturers and vendors (supply of three‑point‑belt‑equipped school buses and related retrofit options where applicable).
  • Students and school bus passengers (safety, education).

Fiscal impact and timeline (summary from fiscal analysis)

  • State fiscal effect: none identified.
  • Local fiscal effect: estimated statewide increase of about $4.3 million per year spread over a ~12‑year bus replacement cycle (FY2028–FY2039), assuming seats are added through normal replacement purchases. MSDE estimate: roughly $10,000 additional cost per new bus equipped with belts.
  • Cost distribution: varies by district (example estimates cited: Prince George’s County ≈ $936,700/year; Kent County ≈ $18,300/year). Some jurisdictions already purchase belt‑equipped buses (reducing incremental impact).
  • Effective/implementation timing: requirement applies to buses purchased on or after July 1, 2027.

Procedural / implementation notes

  • The bill ties the equipment change to new purchases rather than retrofitting all existing buses immediately; full statewide compliance is expected over typical replacement cycles (~12 years).
  • Training/safety instruction is additive to existing required safety education programs; MSDE expects limited additional operational cost for instruction.
  • The civil‑liability provision narrows the use of belt non‑use as a standalone basis for civil suits against operators and school entities; it does not address other liability bases.

Issues to watch

  • Local budget planning for bus procurement cycles and capital budgets.
  • Manufacturer supply capacity and procurement specifications (availability and lead times for belt‑equipped buses).
  • Policy tradeoffs between mandating belts on new buses only vs. retrofits on in‑service fleets.
  • Interaction of the civil immunity provision with broader tort and negligence law in school transportation incidents.

If you want, I can:
- Draft a one‑page memo for school superintendents summarizing procurement/timing implications, or
- Produce suggested amendment language to address retrofits, transitional funding, or carve outs.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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