The bill authorizes New Jersey boards of education to use competitive contracting for the procurement of electric school buses, on-site charging infrastructure, and related operation and maintenance services. It amends existing laws to include electric school buses as specialized goods eligible for competitive contracting and allows for lease terms that extend to the service life of the vehicles. Additionally, the bill maintains a maximum lease term of 10 years for fossil fuel school buses while ensuring that contracts for electric buses align with their service life.

Moreover, the New Jersey School Boards Association is granted the authority to act as a government aggregator to facilitate the acquisition of electric school buses and related services. The bill also includes provisions for the association to aggregate utility service accounts and clarifies that electric-related services cover electric school buses and associated construction projects. It establishes interim standards for government energy aggregation programs, which will take effect immediately upon filing with the Office of Administrative Law for a period not exceeding 18 months.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 18A:18A-4.1, 48:3-91