Three-point seat belts to be required on new school buses in Illinois

Newly purchased school buses in Illinois must have torso and lap safety belts for riders starting in July 2031, according to legislation that has cleared the General Assembly and awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature.

The bill was championed by state Sens. Julie Morrison of Lake Forest and Laura Murphy of Des Plaines and state Rep. Bob Morgan of Deerfield, among others. It was introduced by Morrison in January, passed the Senate in April and passed the House in late May.

“Ensuring the safety of our children traveling to and from school is a top priority of all parents across Illinois,” Morgan, the bill’s chief House sponsor, said Saturday in a news release. “Building safer school buses is no-brainer that is also consistent with modern bus manufacturing.”

The belts will be required in every seat in newly purchased or leased school buses. Buses already in operation won’t need to be retrofitted with belts.