Establishes School Transportation Safety Commission in Department of Law and Public Safety.

A2362

ASSEMBLY, No. 2362

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman WILLIAM F. MOEN, JR.

District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes School Transportation Safety Commission
in Department of Law and Public Safety.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
establishing a School Transportation Safety Commission
and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.�

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� a.� The School
Transportation Safety Commission is created and established in the Executive
Branch of the State Government.� For the purposes of complying with the
provisions of Article V, Section IV, paragraph 1 of the New Jersey
Constitution, the commission is allocated in the Department of Law and Public
Safety, but notwithstanding this allocation, the commission shall be
independent of any supervision or control by the department or any board or
officer thereof.

���� The commission shall consist
of eight members, including the Director of the Division of Highway Traffic
Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety, or a designee, who shall
serve ex-officio, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio, and the Commissioner of
Education, or a designee, who shall serve ex-officio, and five public members
to be appointed by the Governor.

���� b.��� Each public member of
the commission shall serve for a term of three years, except that of the
initial members so appointed:� one member shall serve for a term of one year;
two members shall serve for terms of two years; and two members shall serve for
terms of three years.� Public members shall be eligible for reappointment.�
They shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualified, and the
term of the successor of any incumbent shall be calculated from the expiration
of the term of that incumbent.� A vacancy occurring other than by expiration of
term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, but for
the unexpired term only.

���� c.���� The members of the
commission shall serve without compensation but shall be entitled to
reimbursement for all necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their
duties.

���� d.��� The commission annually
shall elect a chair from among its members.� It shall meet upon the call of the
chair or of a majority of the commission members.� The presence of a majority
of the authorized membership of the commission shall be required for the
conduct of official business.

���� e.���� The commission shall
appoint an executive director, who shall serve at its pleasure and shall be a
person qualified by training and experience to perform the duties of the
office.

���� 2.��� The commission shall
have the following responsibilities and duties:

���� a.���� to review State
regulations pertaining to school bus safety;

���� b.��� to prepare a biannual
report on school bus safety that includes a review of student transportation
safety records and data; and

���� c.���� to identify the status
of the implementation of past recommendations for additional action or
oversight made by the
Transportation
Task Force of the Commission on Business Efficiency of the Public Schools or of
any other task force formed to improve school bus safety.

���� 3.� a.� The commission is
authorized to call upon any department, office, division or agency of the
State, or of any county, municipality or school district of the State, to
supply such data, program reports and other information, personnel and
assistance as it deems necessary to discharge its responsibilities under this
act.

���� b.��� These departments,
offices, divisions and agencies shall, to the extent possible, and not
inconsistent with any other law of this State, cooperate with the commission
and shall furnish it with such information, personnel and assistance as may be
necessary or helpful to accomplish the purposes of this act.

���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect on the 90th day after the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
School Transportation Safety Commission in, but not of, the Department of Law
and Public Safety.� The commission will consist of eight members, including the
Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and
Public Safety, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission, and the Commissioner of Education, or their designees, serving
ex-officio, and five public members.� Public members will be appointed by the
Governor.

���� The commission will have the
following responsibilities and duties: review State regulations pertaining to
school bus safety; prepare a biannual report on school bus safety that includes
a review of student transportation safety records and data; and identify the
status of the implementation of the recommendations for additional action or
oversight made by the
Transportation
Task Force of the Commission on Business Efficiency of the Public Schools or of
any other task force formed to improve school bus safety.

���� Edmond Bock IV, a first grade
student at Atco Elementary School, was tragically struck by a school bus and
killed on January 6, 2014.� The sponsor seeks to improve safety in student
transportation through this bill and other legislation.