SB 546 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to seat belts on buses that transport children.

Texas Senate Bill 546 requires school buses transporting children to be equipped with three-point seat belts for all passengers, including the driver. School districts may request an exception if they determine it is not feasible due to budget constraints (after a public vote), or if using buses purchased before 2017 or newer buses where budget limitations prevent compliance. The bill also allows school districts to accept gifts, grants, or donations to cover the costs of implementing these seat belt requirements. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, directly affecting school districts and bus operators in Texas.

Issues: ✓ Transportation

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2024

Committee Review

May 2025

Senate Passage

May 2025

House Passage

May 2025

Signed into Law

Jun 2025

Introduced Dec 6, 2024 Signed Jun 20, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed → Enrolled · 3 edits · Jun 20, 2025

MINOR

This bill was finalized as an enrolled version with minor formatting cleanup and added a new header line about digital content accessibility updates. The core legislative text regarding seat belt requirements for school buses remains substantively unchanged from the engrossed version.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the bill continues to mandate three-point seat belts on school buses with specific exemptions for older vehicles and warranty concerns.

TECHNICAL

Added a new header line at the top of the document stating digital content has been updated for WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards

Removed placeholder text like 'A BILL TO BE ENTITLED' and 'AN ACT' that was present in the engrossed version but not in the final enrolled text

Cleaned up line breaks and spacing throughout the document to match standard enrolled bill formatting

Floor votes · Senate Apr 22, 2025 · House May 27, 2025

How they voted

24–6

Passed

Total votes 30

Apr 22, 2025

D Democratic10

10 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican20

14 Yea 6 Nay

70% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jun 20, 2025

Signed into law

Signed by the Governor

executive

May 30, 2025

Lower · Passed

Signed in the House

lower

May 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

Signed in the Senate

upper

May 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

House passage reported

upper

May 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed

lower

May 22, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report sent to Calendars

lower

May 21, 2025

Lower · Passed

Transferred to Calendars Committee

lower

May 15, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report distributed

lower

May 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)

lower

May 13, 2025

Committee

Recommended to be sent to Local & Consent

lower

May 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Left pending in committee

lower

May 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee

lower

Apr 28, 2025

Committee

Referred to Transportation

lower

Apr 28, 2025

Introduced

Read first time

lower

Apr 23, 2025

Introduced

Received from the Senate

lower

Apr 22, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

Apr 22, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed to engrossment as amended

upper

Apr 22, 2025

Upper · Passed

Amended

upper

Apr 22, 2025

Introduced

Amendment(s) offered

upper

Apr 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee report printed and distributed

upper

Apr 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably as substituted

upper

Apr 9, 2025

Upper · Passed

Vote taken in committee

upper

Mar 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

Left pending in committee

upper

Mar 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

Testimony taken in committee

upper

Feb 3, 2025

Committee

Referred to Transportation

upper

Feb 3, 2025

Introduced

Read first time

upper

2 primary · 3 co-sponsors