Louisiana bill requiring new school buses to have air conditioning, heating passes to the House

School bus driver checking multiple aspects of the bus before route.

Posted: May 2, 2024 / 02:54 PM EDT

Updated: May 2, 2024 / 02:54 PM EDT

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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A proposed bill that would require school buses to have air conditioning and heaters is moving forward at the State Legislature this week.

SB26, introduced by Democratic Senators Cleo Fields and Joseph Bouie Jr., states that all new school buses bought after Aug. 1, 2024, that transport students to and from school are required to be equipped with heating and air conditioning.

The bill states that the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) should adopt new rules that enforce each school board system to equip all new school buses with passenger air conditioning and heating systems.

The bill passed the Senate and now heads to the House.

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