HB452: Public school buses; display of advertising, hiring of school bus drivers.
HOUSE BILL NO. 452
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 22.1-177 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 22.1-177. School buses; regulations; decals, posters, and stickers; type; sale and transfer.
A. The Board may make regulations relating to the construction, design, operation, equipment, and color of public school buses and shall have the authority to issue an order prohibiting the operation on public streets and highways of any public school bus that does not comply with such regulations. Any such order shall be enforced by the Department of State Police.
B. Local school boards may, notwithstanding any regulation to
the contrary, display (i)
decals (a) depicting
the flag of the United States on the sides and rear of school buses, as long as any such decal does not obstruct the name
of the school division or the number of the school bus and
is no larger than 100 square inches. In addition,
local school boards may, notwithstanding any regulation to the contrary,
display decals, or (b)
relating to school bus safety and (ii) decals, posters,
and stickers on the sides and rear of
school buses advertising the hiring of school bus
drivers in the local school division. Local school divisions boards
shall be responsible for the cost of the such decals, posters, and stickers. Such No such
decal, poster, or sticker shall not obstruct the name of the
school division or the number of the school bus.
C. No regulation of the Board shall unreasonably limit the authority of any local school division to purchase and use school buses using compressed natural gas or other alternative fuels or convert its school buses to use compressed natural gas or other alternative fuels.
D. Any local school board may, notwithstanding any regulation
to the contrary, sell or transfer any of its school buses to another school
division or purchase a used school bus from another school division or a school
bus dealer as long as the school bus (i) conforms to the specifications
relating to construction and design effective in the Commonwealth on the date
of manufacture; (ii) has a valid Virginia State Police inspection; and (iii)
has not reached the end of its useful life according to the school bus
replacement schedule utilized by the Department of
Education as required by the general appropriation act.