COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio legislators are trying to increase penalties and awareness when it comes to school bus safety.
State Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) introduced Senate Bill 62, the School Bus Safety Act. State Reps. Bernard Willis (R-Springfield) and Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) introduced House Bill 3 under the same title. Both bills would increase penalties for passing school buses illegally. See previous coverage of lawmakers hoping to increase school bus safety in the video player above.
Under the S.B. 62, illegally passing a stopped school bus would spur a civil penalty of $300, $50 of which would go to a newly created school bus safety fund. The remaining $250 would be paid to the organization in charge of the bus, such as a local school district, which would have to use the funds for bus safety initiatives.
Ohio lawmakers want to allow parents to claim conceived children on income taxesH.B. 3 goes even further, designating passing a stopped school bus as an unclassified misdemeanor. This would raise fines for violations to a minimum of $250 and a maximum of $1,000. Repeat offenders could be eligible for fines between $350 and $2,000. Currently, state law permits fines up to $500. All fines collected would go to the school bus safety fund.
Both bills would establish the school bus safety fund within the state treasury, which would award grants to school districts to improve bus safety further. The fund would also be used by the Department of Education and Workforce to promote school bus safety awareness. Both S.B. 62 and H.B. 3 would also designate August as "School Bus Safety Awareness Month."
The bills state funds generated by this legislation could go to eligible school bus safety features. Current Ohio law says nothing about external bus cameras, but S.B. 62 would encourage their use. It does clarify that districts using camera technology would have to use them across all routes.
External bus cameras Crossing arms Lane departure warning systems Electronic stability control Lighted mirrors Safer and approved bus frames Fully illuminated stop arms Collision avoidance systems Ground lights Reflective chevron Approved seat belt systems Ohio lawmakers renew push to regulate imitation meat and egg productsS.B. 62 bill also states if a vehicle's driver cannot be identified, the car's registered owner could face the $300 civil penalty. H.B. 3 states that repeat offenders could also face class five suspensions of their drivers licenses, which could range from six months to three years.
S.B. 62 had its first Senate committee hearing on Feb. 19, during which Gavarone addressed the Judiciary Committee and reminded members that the State Highway Patrol issued more than 16,000 citations for school bus and zone violations between 2018 and August 2023.
"No parent should ever have to worry about their child traveling to and from school," Gavarone said.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Ohio legislators want to increase penalties for passing stopped school buses )
Also on site :
- PMD vs DU Dream11 Prediction Today Match, Dream11 Team Today, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing XI, Pitch Report, Injury Update- Kolkata NCC T20 2025, Match 26
- Steph Curry goes for 36, Nikola Jokic doesn’t get much help as Nuggets fall to Warriors
- Tesla Dealerships Brace for Weekend of Protests, Violence, and Possible Domestic Terrorism