Texas Senate bill by Sen. Menéndez mandates three-point seat belts on school district buses

Passed bill authored by State Sen. José Menéndez seeks to enhance passenger safety on school district buses by requiring three-point seat belts, while allowing flexibility for districts facing feasibility challenges, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 11 Democrats and 12 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while eight Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the House, 57 Democrats and 47 Republicans voted in favor, while 38 Republicans voted against it.

José Menéndez introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, ahead of the official start of the 89th regular legislative session on Jan. 14, 2025.

Menéndez graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BBA.

Menéndez, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2015 to represent the state’s 26th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Leticia Van de Putte.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to seat belts on buses that transport children’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates that buses used by school districts in Texas for transporting children, including school buses, activity buses, and chartered buses, be equipped with three-point seat belts for all passengers and the operator. However, if a school district’s board of trustees determines in a public meeting that equipping buses with three-point seat belts is not feasible due to budget and student needs, they may opt for two-point seat belts instead. Additionally, school districts are allowed to accept gifts, grants, and donations from public or private sources to facilitate compliance with these requirements. The bill is scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (Democrat – District 14), Sen. César Blanco (Democrat – District 29), and Sen. Royce West (Democrat – District 23).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Tuesday, May 27, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.