SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 3858
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: JUNE 26, 2025
The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3858.
As amended and reported, the bill requires school bus drivers, school bus aides, and any other individual who works, and is otherwise responsible for the safety of students, on a school bus to call the 911 emergency telephone service for assistance in the event of a potential life-threatening emergency on the school bus. A school bus personnel member is required to report the call to the Department of Education. Under the bill, a board of education, or a school bus contractor providing pupil transportation services under contract with a board of education, that employs a school bus personnel member, as well as the department, is to maintain a record of the calls.
A board of education, or a school bus contractor, as applicable, is required to ensure that certain training related to school bus safety and interacting with students with disabilities are provided to each school bus personnel member who works on a school bus. Under current law, these training programs are required to be administered to school bus drivers and school bus aides. The bill expands these programs to cover all other school bus personnel members who work, and are responsible for the safety of students, on a school bus. A board of education or school bus contractor that does not properly administer these training programs is to be subject to applicable penalties established under current law. Current law requires an employer to administer a safety education program, including a program that provides training on defensive driving techniques and railroad crossing procedures, to certain school bus personnel twice per calendar year. The bill requires that an employer is to also provide the training on interacting with students with disabilities to certain school bus personnel twice per calendar year following the initial administration of the program as outlined in the bill.
The bill provides that the parent or guardian of a student who believes that a school bus personnel member did not properly call the 911 emergency telephone service in the event of a potential life-threatening emergency may file a complaint with the Department of Education. A school bus personnel member who is found by the office to have violated the provisions concerning 911 emergency notification and follow-up reporting requirements is to be liable for certain civil penalties.
The bill also requires a school bus that transports one or more students with disabilities with special transportation requirements to be equipped with: (1) a video camera on the interior of the school bus to monitor student safety while the students are being transported; (2) a global positioning system that provides information about the location and speed of each school bus in real time; and (3) two-way communications equipment, which may include a cellular or other wireless telephone. Under the bill, any video footage collected from a video camera and any data collected from a global positioning system is to be retained for not less than 180 days from the date it was recorded.
The bill requires that each in-terminal school bus inspection conducted by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJ MVC) is to provide for the inspection of the equipment required to be installed on school buses pursuant to the bill.
The bill permits, subject to the availability of funds, a board of education and a contractor providing pupil transportation services under contract with a board of education that is required to install equipment on a school bus used to transport one or more students with disabilities with special transportation requirements to apply to the NJ MVC for funds, in a manner to be determined by the Chief Administrator, to be used to purchase and install the equipment.
The bill appropriates from the General Fund to the NJ MVC such sums as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of the bill requiring installation of equipment on a school bus and issuing funds.
For the provisions of the bill concerning the installation of equipment on school buses and the in-terminal school bus inspections, the bill defines “students with disabilities with special transportation requirements” to mean a student with a disability who is identified pursuant to school funding law as needing special transportation requirements.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:
The committee amended the bill to:
(1) require an employer provide the training on interacting with students with disabilities to certain school bus personnel twice per calendar year following the initial administration of the program as outlined in the bill;
(2) require school bus personnel who work on any school bus to call the 911 emergency telephone service for assistance in the event of a potential life-threatening emergency on a school bus;
(3) provide that the provisions in the bill concerning in-terminal school bus inspection apply only to school buses that transport one or more students with disabilities with special transportation requirements;
(4) require the equipment outlined in the bill be installed on a school bus that transports one or more students with disabilities with special transportation requirements;
(5) provide that for the provisions of the bill concerning the installation of equipment on school buses and the in-terminal school bus inspections, “students with disabilities with special transportation requirements” is defined to means a student with a disability who is identified pursuant to school funding law as needing special transportation requirements;
(6) permit boards of education and contractors providing pupil transportation services under contract with a board of education that is required to install equipment on a school bus used to transport one or more students with disabilities with special transportation requirements to apply to NJ MVC for funds, in a manner to be determined by the Chief Administrator to be used to purchase and install the equipment;
(7) appropriate from the General Fund to the NJ MVC such sums as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of the bill requiring installation of equipment on a school bus used to transport one or more students with disabilities with special transportation requirements and permitting boards of education and a contractor providing pupil transportation services under contract with a board of education required to install equipment to apply for funds; and
(8) replace certain references to Office of Special Education with the Department of Education directly.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Fiscal information for this bill is currently unavailable.