The proposed legislation, known as "Charlie's Law," mandates the installation of an electronic child safety alarm system in all school buses. Effective January 1, 2024, any new or used school bus acquired by a school must be equipped with this system. By January 1, 2029, all school buses owned or operated by schools are required to have the system installed. The law specifies that the alarm system must be activated when the bus is turned on and remain active until a reset or deactivation button is manually pressed by the driver at the rear of the bus after it has been turned off. This process is designed to ensure that the driver inspects the entire interior of the bus before exiting.

Additionally, if the alarm is not reset or deactivated within ten minutes of the bus being turned off, it must provide an audio alert loud enough to be heard outside the bus. The definition of "school" under this law includes public schools, public school districts, and open-enrollment public charter schools. This legislation aims to enhance child safety by preventing incidents of children being left unattended on school buses.