SB 247,
as amended, Lara. begin deleteDream Centers: educational support services. end deletebegin insertCharter bus transportation: safety improvements.end insert
The Passenger Charter-party Carriers’ Act, with certain exceptions, prohibits a charter-party carrier of passengers from engaging in transportation services subject to regulation by the Public Utilities Commission without obtaining a specified certificate or permit, as appropriate, from the commission, and imposes various other requirements on charter-party carriers of passengers. The act provides for the safety regulation of charter-party carriers of passengers engaged in charter bus transportation by the commission. A violation of the act is a crime.
end insertbegin insertThis bill would require a charter-party carrier of passengers engaged in charter bus transportation to ensure that the driver of a charter bus performs 2 specified tasks prior to any trip that include, among other things, instructions to all passengers on the safety equipment and emergency exits on the vehicle. The bill would also make findings and declarations and declare the intent of the Legislature to enact specified legislation to require safety improvements on charter buses.
end insertbegin insertBecause a violation of these provisions would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
end insertbegin insertThe California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
end insertbegin insertThis bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
end insertExisting law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools maintained and operated by local educational agencies throughout the state. Existing law also establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, and the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state.
end deleteExisting law requires the Student Aid Commission to establish procedures and forms that enable students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition because they meet specified residency requirements, or who meet equivalent requirements adopted by the regents, to apply for, and participate in, all student financial aid programs administered by the state to the full extent permitted by federal law.
end deleteThis bill would authorize the governing board of each school district or county office of education that maintains any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, the governing board of each community college district, and the Trustees of the California State University to establish, and would encourage the Regents of the University of California to establish, undocumented student support services to include, but not necessarily be limited to, state and institutional financial aid assistance, academic counseling, referral services, and on-campus Dream Centers.
end deleteVote: majority.
Appropriation: no.
Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
begin insertThe Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:end insert
3(a) The safety of passengers traveling in charter buses in
4California is of the utmost importance. According to the Federal
P3 1Motor Carrier Safety Administration, between
1975 and 2012,
2there were over 11,000 fatal crashes involving charter buses,
3including 1,567 occupant fatalities. Improved safety standards
4and practices are necessary to better protect passengers in the
5event of a charter bus crash.
6(b) On April 10, 2014, in Orland California, eight passengers
7traveling on a charter bus, along with the driver, were tragically
8killed in a freeway collision. In a report released in 2015, the
9National Transportation Safety Board examined the crash and
10made recommendations for safety improvements, including fire
11performance standards for interior materials, requiring pretrip
12safety briefings for passengers, improvements in vehicle design to
13facilitate evacuation, and the installation of event data
recorder
14(EDR) technology for crash reconstruction and safety
15improvements.
16(c) These improvements would significantly increase passenger
17safety and would reduce or prevent future deaths in traffic
18collisions involving charter buses.
begin insertIt is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation
20that would require charter buses to implement all of the following
21safety improvements:end insert
22(a) Burn resistant materials for occupant compartments.
end insertbegin insert
23(b) Emergency lighting fixtures with self-contained independent
24power sources that will turn on in the event of an accident.
25(c) Interior and exterior luminescent or retro-reflective
26emergency signage.
27(d) An event data recorder capable of recording certain
28vehicle-related data in the event
of sudden deceleration or hard
29braking.
30(e) Bus windows that can be easily opened and remain open
31during an emergency.
32(f) That new buses be equipped with a secondary door for use
33as an additional emergency exit.
begin insertSection 5384.3 is added to the end insertbegin insertPublic Utilities Codeend insertbegin insert,
35to read:end insert
A charter-party carrier of passengers engaged in
37charter bus transportation shall ensure that the driver of a vehicle
38described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 5363
39performs both of the following tasks prior to any trip:
P4 1(a) Instructs all passengers on the safety equipment and
2emergency exits on the vehicle.
3(b) Provides each passenger with written instructions that
4include, at a minimum, the location and operation of all exits,
5including emergency exits, and the importance of wearing a
6seatbelt, if available.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
8Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
9the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
10district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
11infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
12for a crime or infraction, within the meaning
of Section 17556 of
13the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
14the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
15Constitution.
Chapter 20 (commencing with Section 11900)
17is added to Part 7 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code,
18to read:
19
The governing board of each school district or county
23office of education that maintains any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive,
24the governing board of each community college district, and the
25Trustees of the California State University may establish, and the
26Regents of the University of California are encouraged to establish,
27undocumented student support services to include, but not
28necessarily be limited to, state and institutional financial aid
29assistance, academic counseling, referral services, and on-campus
30Dream
Centers.
O
97