The House Courts and Criminal Code Committee heard SB 2 sponsored by Rep. Manning on school bus safety. This bill provides:
- an increase in the penalty for an individual who fails to stop when a school bus’s stop arm is extended
- the court shall suspend the person’s driving privileges for 90 days or if the person has committed at least one previous school bus arm offense, for one year
- an increase in the penalty for an individual who recklessly passes a school bus when its stop arm is extended
- an increase in the penalty for an individual who recklessly passes a school bus when its stop arm is extended if the action results in injury or death
- if an individual is convicted of recklessly passing a school bus causing bodily injury or death to a person, the individual may be fined not more than $20,000
- the court shall suspend the driving privileges of a person who recklessly passes a school bus when its stop arm is extended: (1) for 90 days; or (2) if the person has committed at least one previous school bus arm offense, for one year
- a person who has the person’s license suspended may not obtain specialized driving privileges
- on or before September 1, 2019, and each September 1 thereafter, each school corporation, charter school, or accredited nonpublic school that provides transportation for students must review each school’s school bus routes and school bus safety policies to improve the safety of students and adults
- the state school bus committee, in consultation with the department of education (department), shall develop and post on the department’s Internet web site school bus safety guidelines or best practices
- the department, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, shall include on the department’s Internet web site information on how an individual or school may petition to reduce maximum speed limits in areas necessary to ensure that students are safely loaded onto or unloaded from a school bus
- with certain exceptions, when a school bus is operated on a: (1) U.S. route or state route, the driver may not load or unload a student at a location that requires the student to cross a roadway unless no other safe alternatives are available; and (2) street or highway other than a U.S. route or state route, the driver shall load and unload a student as close to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway as practicable
- if a school bus driver must load or unload an elementary school student at a location on a U.S. or state route, the superintendent or superintendent’s designee must present the school bus route to the school board for approval
- school corporations and nonpublic schools may enter into agreements with third parties to administer camera enforcement of school bus stop arm regulations, subject to certain conditions
- for civil penalties that may be assessed and that points may be assessed under the bureau of motor vehicles’ point system; for violations of regulations enforced by camera enforcement
- school bus safety is added to the topics required to be on an examination for a learner’s permit or driver’s license.
- the governing body of a school corporation may allow, in certain situations, the use of a school bus or special purpose bus for the transportation of adults with physical or intellectual disabilities.
The bill was amended to add a reference to the criminal code because it elevates certain infractions to criminal offense. The amendment also mandates reflective tape and daytime running lights on school buses instead of strobe lights, reduces the fine to bring it into line with other similar offenses, and limits the time during which fines may be redirected to school districts or third parties to pay for the cost of cameras on buses only until the cameras are paid for. The amended bill passed 7-4.
Read http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2019/bills/senate/2