HF 2886

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 03/10/2016 03:29pm

A bill for an act
relating to pupil transportation; modifying school bus equipment standards;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, sections 169.442, subdivision 5; 169.4501,
subdivisions 1, 2; 169.4503, subdivisions 4, 7, 14, 23, 30; 169.64, subdivision 8;
repealing Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.4502, subdivision 5.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.442, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

White strobe lamps on certain buses transporting children.

(a)
Notwithstanding section 169.55, subdivision 1, or 169.57, subdivision 3, paragraph (b), or
other law to the contrary, a school bus that is subject to and complies with the equipment
requirements of subdivision 1 and section 169.441, subdivision 1, or a Head Start bus that
is not a type III vehicle defined in section 169.011, subdivision 71, may be equipped with
a flashing strobe lamp. The lamp may be used only as provided in this subdivision.

(b) The lamp must be permanently mounted on the longitudinal centerline of the bus
roof not less than two feet forward of the rear roof edge.

(c) The strobe lamp may be lighted only when atmospheric conditions or terrain
restrict the visibility of school bus lamps and signals or Head Start bus lamps and signals
so as to require use of the bright strobe lamp to alert motorists to the presence of the school
bus or Head Start bus. A strobe lamp may not be lighted unless the school bus or Head
Start bus is actually being used as a school bus or Head Start bus.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.4501, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

National standards adopted.

Except as provided in sections
169.4502 and 169.4503, the construction, design, equipment, and color of types A, B, C, D
school buses and multifunction school activity buses used for the transportation of school
children shall meet the requirements of the "bus body and chassis specifications" in the
2010 2015 edition of the "National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures"
adopted by the National Congress on School Transportation. Except as provided in section
169.4504, the construction, design, and equipment of types A, B, C, D school buses and
multifunction school activity buses used for the transportation of students with disabilities
also shall meet the requirements of the "specially equipped school bus specifications"
in the 2010 2015 National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures. The
"bus body and chassis specifications" and "specially equipped school bus specifications"
sections of the 2010 2015 edition of the "National School Transportation Specifications
and Procedures," adopted by the Fifteenth Sixteenth National Congress on School
Transportation, are incorporated by reference in this chapter.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.4501, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Applicability.

(a) The standards adopted in this section and sections
169.4502 and 169.4503, govern the construction, design, equipment, and color of school
buses used for the transportation of school children, when owned or leased and operated
by a school or privately owned or leased and operated under a contract with a school.
Each school, its officers and employees, and each person employed under the contract is
subject to these standards.

(b) The standards apply to school buses manufactured after December 31, 2012
2016. Buses complying with the standards when manufactured need not comply with
standards established later except as specifically provided for by law.

(c) A school bus manufactured on or before December 31, 2012 2016, must conform
to the Minnesota standards in effect on the date the vehicle was manufactured except as
specifically provided for in law.

(d) A new bus body may be remounted on a used chassis provided that the remounted
vehicle meets state and federal standards for new buses which are current at the time of the
remounting. Permission must be obtained from the commissioner of public safety before
the remounting is done. A used bus body may not be remounted on a new or used chassis.

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.4503, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Certification.

Upon request, a body manufacturer, or school bus dealer,
or certified Minnesota commercial vehicle inspector who is also an employee of an
organization purchasing a school bus shall must provide preliminary certification to the
Department of Public Safety that the product meets Minnesota standards. Final certification
will be granted within 30 days upon reinspection by the Department of Public Safety.

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.4503, subdivision 7, is amended to read:

Subd. 7.

Floor construction.

The metal floor shall must be covered with plywood.
The plywood shall must be at least 19/32 five-ply nominal five-eighths inches thick,
and must equal or exceed properties of exterior-type softwood plywood, grade C-D,
as specified in product the standard PSI-I83 issued by the United States Department of
Commerce. All of the plywood's exposed edges must be sealed. Type A-I buses must be
equipped with nominal one-half inch thick plywood or an equivalent material that meets
the requirements of this subdivision. Equivalent material may be used to replace plywood,
provided it has insulation R value, deterioration, sound abatement, and moisture resistance
properties that are equal to or exceed the properties of the plywood it is replacing. The
floor shall must be level from front to back, and side to side, except in wheel housing,
toe board, and driver's seat platform areas.

Sec. 6.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.4503, subdivision 14, is amended to read:

Subd. 14.

Insulation.

(a) Thermal insulation is required. It shall be fire-resistant,
UL approved, with minimum R-value of 5.5. Insulation shall be installed so as to prevent
sagging.

(b) Floor insulation is required. It shall be five-ply nominal five-eighths-inch-thick
plywood, and shall equal or exceed properties of the exterior-type softwood plywood, C-D
Grade, as specified in the standard issued by United States Department of Commerce. All
exposed edges on plywood shall be sealed. Type A-I buses shall be equipped with nominal
one-half-inch-thick plywood or equivalent material meeting the above requirements.
Equivalent material may be used to replace plywood, provided it has an equal or greater
insulation R value, deterioration, sound abatement, and moisture resistance properties.

Sec. 7.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.4503, subdivision 23, is amended to read:

Subd. 23.

Windows.

(a) Windshield, entrance, and rear emergency exit doors must
be of approved safety glass. Laminated or tempered glass (AS-2 or AS-3) is permitted in
all other windows. All glass shall be federally approved and marked as provided in section
169.74. The windshield may be of uniform tint throughout or may have a horizontal
gradient band starting slightly above the line of vision and gradually decreasing in light
transmission to 20 percent or less at the top of the windshield.

(b) The use of tinted glass, as approved by section 169.71, is permitted on side
windows and rear windows except for the entrance door, the first window behind the
service door, and the window to the left of the driver. The window to the left of the driver,
and the upper service door windows, and the window immediately behind the entrance
door must be thermal glass. Regardless of a bus's date of manufacture, the window
immediately behind the entrance door does not need to be made of thermal glass. The
window to the left of the driver for type A buses need not be thermal glass.

Sec. 8.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.4503, subdivision 30, is amended to read:

Subd. 30.

Video or mobile surveillance systems.

Camera heads for video or
mobile surveillance may be mounted in the driver compartment area, midbus, or on a rear
interior bulkhead in the student passenger area. For buses manufactured or retrofitted with
a surveillance system after December 31, 2012, cameras mounted midbus must be parallel
to a seat back, must not have any sharp edges, must not extend outward more than three
3-1/2 inches, and must be located within 24 inches of the top of the side window of the bus.

Sec. 9.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.64, subdivision 8, is amended to read:

Subd. 8.

Strobe lamp.

(a) Notwithstanding sections 169.55, subdivision 1; 169.57,
subdivision 3, paragraph (b); or any other law to the contrary, a vehicle may be equipped
with a 360-degree flashing strobe lamp that emits a white light with a flash rate of 60 to 120
flashes a minute, and the lamp may be used as provided in this subdivision, if the vehicle is:

(1) a school bus that is subject to and complies with the equipment requirements of
sections 169.441, subdivision 1, and 169.442, subdivision 1, or a Head Start bus that is
not a type III vehicle as defined in section 169.011, subdivision 71. The lamp shall be
permanently mounted on the longitudinal centerline of the bus roof not less than two
feet nor more than seven feet forward of the rear roof edge. It shall must operate from
a separate switch containing an indicator lamp to show when the strobe lamp is in use.
The strobe lamp may be lighted only when atmospheric conditions or terrain restrict the
visibility of school bus lamps and signals or Head Start bus lamps and signals so as to
require use of the bright strobe lamp to alert motorists to the presence of the school bus or
Head Start bus. A strobe lamp may not be lighted unless the school bus or Head Start bus
is actually being used as a school bus or Head Start bus; or

(2) a road maintenance vehicle owned or under contract to the Department of
Transportation or a road authority of a county, home rule or statutory city, or town, but
the strobe lamp may only be operated while the vehicle is actually engaged in snow
removal during daylight hours.

(b) Notwithstanding sections 169.55, subdivision 1; 169.57, subdivision 3, paragraph
(b); or any other law to the contrary, a vehicle may be equipped with a 360-degree flashing
strobe lamp that emits an amber light with a flash rate of 60 to 120 flashes a minute, and
the lamp may be used as provided in this subdivision, if the vehicle is a rural mail carrier
vehicle, provided that the strobe lamp is mounted at the highest practicable point on the
vehicle. The strobe lamp may only be operated while the vehicle is actually engaged
during daylight hours in the delivery of mail to residents on a rural mail route.

(c) A strobe lamp authorized by this section shall be of a double flash type certified to
the commissioner of public safety by the manufacturer as being weatherproof and having a
minimum effective light output of 200 candelas as measured by the Blondel-Rey formula.

Sec. 10. REPEALER.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 169.4502, subdivision 5, is repealed.