HBA-ALS, PDH, MAJ C.S.H.B. 385 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 385
By: Walker
Transportation
3/24/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, a school bus cannot legally exceed 50 miles per hour, except on
interstate highways, where they can travel 55 miles per hour. This
limitation includes school buses used for extracurricular activities.
C.S.H.B. 385 applies the same speed limit applicable to a passenger car to
a school bus carrying students and personnel on extracurricular activities
or to a school bus on an interstate highway outside an urban district. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Sections 545.352(b) and (c), Transportation Code, as
follows: 

(b)  Provides an exception under Subsection (c) to the list of speed limits
that are lawful outside an urban district if the vehicle is a school bus on
an interstate highway.  Makes a conforming change.   

(c) Adds a school bus that transports students and necessary personnel on
extracurricular activities to the list of vehicles that are subject to the
same speed limit as a passenger car at the same time and location. Requires
a school board, with the board of trustees' approval, to establish a speed
limit which does not exceed the maximum prima facie speed limit under this
section for each type of bus that is used by the school district to safely
transport students. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

The substitute modifies the original in SECTION 1 (545.352(c),
Transportation Code) by adding a provision requiring a school district to
establish a speed limit for school buses transporting students, with the
approval of the board of trustees and within certain prescribed limits.