Bill Text: NJ A765 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires school vehicles transporting students with disabilities to display certain information.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-01-13 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee [A765 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A765-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman AL BARLAS
District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Requires school vehicles transporting students with disabilities to display certain information.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning school buses and amending P.L.1965, c.119.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L. 1965, c.119 (C.39:3B-2) is amended to read as follows:
2. a. There shall be displayed on every bus subject to the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1965, c.119 (C.39:3B-1) signs or legends [which] that will, insofar as practicable, inform the driver of any vehicle concerning the duty imposed upon [him] the driver by law with respect to passing a bus [,] while it is loading or unloading. The signs or legends shall be in a color, form, and design [as will meet] that meets the requirements prescribed by the State Board of Education, which requirements shall [not] be [inconsistent] consistent with the provisions of this Title [or] and any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto.
b. An agency, board of education, nonpublic school, or school bus contractor operating a school bus [subject to the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1965, c.119 (C.39:3B-1)] , as defined in R.S.39:1-1, including those school buses used to transport students with disabilities, shall display across the rear of the school bus a telephone number, Internet website address, school bus identification number, [or] and any other identifying information [which shall allow] that allows the public to report a [bus] driver's misconduct while operating the school bus to the Division of State Police, the board of education, [or] and the nonpublic school for which the school bus provides transportation. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall design a sticker for the agency, board of education, nonpublic school, or school bus contractor to adhere to the rear of the school bus that includes all information required pursuant to this subsection. The lettering shall be of a color that contrasts with the color of the school bus.
c. Failure to display the required information on the rear of a school bus, including on those school buses used to transport students with disabilities, pursuant to subsection b. of this section, shall result in the following fines and penalties for the entity who owns or leases the school bus:
(1) a fine of $250 for the first violation;
(2) a fine of $500 for the second violation; and
(3) a fine of $1,000 and disqualification from providing transportation services under a school transportation contract for the third violation.
The fines shall be collected by the Commissioner of Education in a summary proceeding pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).
d. All reports of driver misconduct received pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall be logged and submitted to the board of education under which the school bus is operating for review within 10 business days of receipt. If a report is investigated and substantiated the Division of State Police shall issue any summonses or fines for motor vehicle and traffic violations and the Department of Education shall make the final determination as to whether the driver may continue providing transportation services for all public-school students, including students with disabilities, for the remainder of the school year.
(cf: P.L.2019, c.43, s.1)
2. This act shall take effect on July 1 next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill amends current law to require certain information to be displayed on school buses, including those school buses used to transport students with disabilities.
The bill requires an agency, a board of education, a nonpublic school, or a school bus contractor operating a school bus, including those school buses used to transport students with disabilities, to display a school bus identification number, in addition to a telephone number, Internet website address, and any other identifying information, across the rear of the school bus in a color that contrasts with the color of the school bus. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission is responsible for designing a sticker for the agency, board of education, nonpublic school, or school bus contractor to adhere to the rear of the school bus that includes all necessary information. An individual may use such information to report an observed instance of a driver's misconduct to the Division of State Police in addition to the board of education and the nonpublic school for which the school bus provides transportation. Failure to display the information on the rear of the school bus will subject the responsible party to certain fines and penalties outlined in the bill. Additionally, all reports of driver misconduct are to be logged and submitted to the board of education under which the school bus is operating for review within 10 business days of receipt. If a report is investigated and substantiated, the Division of State Police is responsible for issuing the appropriate summonses or fines and the Department of Education is to determine whether the driver may continue providing transportation services for students, including students with disabilities, for the remainder of the calendar year.
In addition, the bill amends current law to clarify that the term "school bus," as used in N.J.S.A.39:3B-2, is defined pursuant to N.J.S.A.39:1-1.
