Public Act 095-0260
 
SB0166 Enrolled LRB095 05332 DRH 25415 b

    AN ACT concerning transportation.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Vehicle Code is amended by adding Section
12-816 as follows:
 
    (625 ILCS 5/12-816 new)
    Sec. 12-816. Post-trip inspection policy for school buses.
    (a) In order to provide for the welfare and safety of
children who are transported on school buses throughout the
State of Illinois, each school district shall have in place, by
January 1, 2008, a policy to ensure that the school bus driver
is the last person leaving the bus and that no passenger is
left behind or remains on the vehicle at the end of a route, a
work shift, or the work day.
    (b) If a school district has a contract with a private
sector school bus company for the transportation of the
district's students, the school district shall require in the
contract with the private sector company that the company have
a post-trip inspection policy in place. This policy and
procedure shall, at a minimum, require the school bus driver,
before leaving the bus at the end of each route, work shift, or
work day, to walk to the rear of the bus and check in and under
each seat for sleeping children.
    (c) Before this inspection, the school bus driver shall
activate the interior lights of the bus to assist the driver in
seeing in and under the seats during a visual sweep of the bus.
    (d) This policy may include, at the discretion of the
school district, the installation of a mechanical or electronic
post-trip inspection reminder system which requires the school
bus driver to walk to the rear of the bus to deactivate the
system before the driver leaves the bus. The system shall
require that when the driver turns off the vehicle's ignition
system, the vehicle's interior lights must illuminate to assist
the driver in seeing in and under the seats during a visual
sweep of the bus.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.