Sponsored by:
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman LISA SWAIN
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman P. CHRISTOPHER TULLY
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Requires provision in school transportation contracts for termination of contract for certain misconduct by school bus contractor; authorizes permanent debarment of certain school bus contractors.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning school transportation and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding the provision of any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, any contract for the transportation of students that is entered into or renewed by an agency, school district, board of education, or nonpublic school after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall include a provision that requires termination of the contract if the school bus contractor:
(1) knowingly allows an individual to operate a school bus more than 24 hours after the school bus contractor has received notice that the individual is no longer authorized to operate a school bus due to suspension or revocation of the individual’s commercial drivers license, passenger endorsement, or school bus endorsement; or
(2) knowingly allows any other unauthorized individual to operate a school bus, including, but not limited to, an individual who does not possess a valid commercial drivers license, passenger endorsement, or school bus endorsement.
b. The contract shall also include a provision requiring the school bus contractor to pay for any increase in costs incurred by the agency, school district, board of education, or nonpublic school related to the provision of student transportation that arises out of the termination of the contract.
The Commissioner of Education may permanently bar any school bus contractor whose contract has been terminated pursuant to this section from entering into future contracts concerning the provision of student transportation. Any such bar shall be reserved for repeated violations, except that the commissioner may bar a school bus contractor under this section if a singular violation is particularly egregious, at the discretion of the commissioner.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires contracts for student transportation to include a provision that requires termination of the contract if the school bus contractor knowingly allows an individual to operate a school bus more than 24 hours after the school bus contractor has received notice that the individual is no longer authorized to operate a school bus due to suspension or revocation of the individual’s commercial drivers license, passenger endorsement, or school bus endorsement, or allows any other unauthorized individual to operate a school bus, including but not limited to, an individual who does not possess a valid commercial drivers license, passenger endorsement, or school bus endorsement. The contract is also required to include a provision requiring the school bus contractor to pay for any increase in costs incurred by the agency, school district, board of education, or nonpublic school related to the provision of student transportation that arises out of the termination of the contract
The bill also authorizes the Commissioner of Education to permanently bar a school bus contractor from entering into future contracts concerning the provision of student transportation if the school bus contractor has multiple contracts that have been terminated or if the school bus contractor commits a singular but particularly egregious violation.