Session Laws

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 8A of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1986 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the first paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

Application for a license to be a school bus operator may be made by any person who shall have attained the age of eighteen years but who has not passed his seventieth birthday, except as otherwise provided herein, and who shall have been a duly licensed motor vehicle operator for a period of three continuous years immediately prior to his application except a person who has been licensed and whose license is not in force because of revocation or suspension or whose right to operate is suspended by the registrar; but before such person shall be so licensed the registrar shall be satisfied that he is of good moral character and has successfully completed a driving performance test, a visual test, a written test and a physical examination by a licensed physician within a three month period of the date of his application in conformity with such minimum physical qualifications as shall be determined by the registrar; provided, however, that a person who has passed his seventieth birthday and is mentally and physically capable of performing the duties of a school bus operator shall be eligible for a license under this section. Such person shall twice annually, at his own expense, be examined by a physician to determine such capability. Said examination shall not be completed within a six month period of each other and that the first physical examination shall be completed within thirty days prior to the beginning of the school year and the second examination shall not be less than six months nor more than seven months thereafter; provided, further, that no license shall be issued to a person who has been convicted of the crime of rape, unnatural act, sodomy, or the use, sale, manufacture or distribution of or possession with intent to distribute any of the controlled substances which are unlawful under the provisions of section thirty-one of chapter ninety-four C, or to any person who has been convicted of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or of marijuana, narcotic drugs, depressants or stimulant substances, all as defined in section one of said chapter ninety-four C, or of the vapors of glue, within the preceding five year period under the provisions of section twenty-four. Any person who has consented to have any such case disposed of under the provisions of section twenty-four D shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed to have been convicted.

SECTION 2. The first paragraph of section 8A 1/2 of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the second sentence and inserting in place thereof the following two sentences:- Application for such license may be made by any person who shall have attained the age of twenty-one years, but has not passed his seventieth birthday, except as otherwise provided herein and who shall have been a duly licensed motor vehicle operator for a period of three continuous years immediately prior to his application, except a person who has been duly licensed and whose license is not in force because of revocation or suspension or whose right to operate is suspended by the registrar, but before such a person shall be so licensed the registrar shall be satisfied that he is of good moral character and has successfully completed a written test, a visual test, and a physical examination in conformity with such minimum physical qualifications as shall be determined by the registrar; provided, however, that a person who has passed his seventieth birthday and is mentally and physically capable of operating motor vehicles transporting school children shall be eligible for a license under this section. Such person shall twice annually, at his own expense, be examined by a physician to determine such capability.