SB0968 • 2026

Education - School Bus - Fire Safety Standards

Education

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Senator Gallion
Last action: 2026-05-12
Official status: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 524
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on what materials are exempted or how enforcement will be carried out, leaving these aspects unclear.

School Bus Fire Safety Standards

This law exempts the driver's seat of a school bus from specific fire safety material requirements while maintaining other existing standards.

What This Bill Does

Exempts the driver’s seat of a school bus from needing to meet certain fire safety material requirements established by national transportation guidelines.

Who It Names or Affects

School bus drivers
Manufacturers of school buses

Terms To Know

National School Transportation specifications: Guidelines set by the National Congress on School Transportation for ensuring safety in school transportation.
Motor Vehicle Administration: The agency responsible for regulating vehicles and their operation, including setting standards for fire safety.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify how the exemption will be enforced or monitored.
Does not provide details on what materials are exempted for the driver's seat.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

223529/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 223529/1

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 968 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 968 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
1 On page 1, in line 3, strike “repealing” and substitute “exempting the driver’s seat of a school bus from”.
AMENDMENT NO.
2 On page 1, in line 19, strike “[A” and substitute “(1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION, A”; and after line 22, insert: “(2) THE REQUIREMENTS OF PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION DO NOT APPLY TO THE DRIVER’S SEAT OF A SCHOOL BUS.”.

Bill History

2026-05-12 Post Passage
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 524
2026-04-09 House
Favorable Report by Environment and Transportation
2026-04-01 House
Third Reading Passed (134-0)
2026-03-27 Senate
Returned Passed
2026-03-25 House
Hearing 3/31 at 1:00 p.m. (Environment and Transportation)
2026-03-25 House
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
2026-03-20 Senate
Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
2026-03-11 House
Referred Environment and Transportation Ways and Means
2026-03-06 Senate
Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-03-06 Senate
Third Reading Passed (41-0)
2026-03-05 Senate
Rereferred to Education, Energy, and the Environment
2026-03-04 Senate
Favorable with Amendments { 223529/1
2026-03-04 Senate
Motion Special Order until Later Today (Senator Feldman) Adopted
2026-03-04 Senate
Favorable with Amendments { 223529/1 Adopted
2026-03-04 Senate
Second Reading Passed with Amendments
2026-02-13 Senate
First Reading Senate Rules
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Education - School Bus - Fire Safety Standards
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - Senate - Committee - Education, Energy, and the Environment
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Third - Education - School Bus - Fire Safety Standards
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - House - Committee - Environment and Transportation
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - House - Committee - Ways and Means
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Chapter - Education - School Bus - Fire Safety Standards

Official Summary Text

Exempting the driver's seat of a school bus from the requirement that a school bus be constructed with certain materials that enable it to meet all the criteria of the school bus seat upholstery fire block test established by the National School Transportation specifications and procedures adopted by the most recent National Congress on School Transportation.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*sb0968*

SENATE BILL 968
R6, F1 6lr3605
CF HB 1610
By: Senator Gallion
Introduced and read first time: February 13, 2026
Assigned to: Rules
Re–referred to: Education, Energy, and the Environment, February 22, 2026
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: March 4, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Education – School Bus – Fire Safety Standards 2

FOR the purpose of repealing exempting the driver’s seat of a school bus from the 3
requirement that a school bus be constructed with certain materials that enable it 4
to meet certain criteria established by the National School Transportation 5
specifications a nd procedures adopted by the most recent National Congress on 6
School Transportation; and generally relating to school bus fire safety standards. 7

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
Article – Education 9
Section 7–808 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14

Article – Education 15

7–808. 16

(a) In this section, “school bus” has the meaning stated in § 11–153 of the 17
Transportation Article. 18

2 SENATE BILL 968

(b) (1) [A] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS 1
SUBSECTION, A school bus shall be constructed with materials that enable it to meet all 2
the criteria of the school bus seat upholstery fire block test establish ed by the National 3
School Transportation specifications and procedures adopted at the most recent National 4
Congress on School Transportation. 5

(2) THE REQUIREMENTS OF PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION DO 6
NOT APPLY TO THE DRIVER’S SEAT OF A SCHOOL BUS. 7

(c)] The Motor Vehicle Administration, with the advice of the Department, shall 8
adopt regulations to promote fire safety standards of school buses. 9

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 10
1, 2026. 11

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.