New Texas Law: School District to Purchase New Buses with Seat Belts
WESLACO – A new Texas law states all new school buses in the state must have three-point seat belts.
As of Friday, 2018 model school buses or newer must be equipped with three-point seat belts. If a school district feels they cannot afford to implement the law, they may vote on the measure to opt out.
There are no legal penalties or fines at this time for school districts who don’t comply.
Senator Sylvia Garcia, the bill’s sponsor, said districts that opt out may still have a price to pay.
“The only penalty, quite frankly, will be answering those parents’ questions as to why they can't afford it. Because we're really not asking them to spend more money, we're just asking to spend wiser,” said Garcia.
CHANNEL 5 NEWS reached out to several Rio Grande Valley school districts to learn if they plan to opt out. They tell us it’s still too early to make a final determination.