|
House approves McCune's school bus safety
legislation
Graham
lawmaker's bill responds to alarming disclosure
Rep. Jim McCune was alarmed to learn that some public school
districts were unknowingly allowing their students to be transported by
school bus drivers who lacked valid driver's licenses.
He introduced legislation
that would let school districts check the driving records of current or
prospective bus drivers free of charge, and notify districts if a bus
driver's license is suspended or revoked. Today the House of
Representatives unanimously approved
House Bill 2373 and sent it on to the state Senate for
consideration.
"This bill will help
ensure our kids are safe while riding school buses," said McCune,
R-Graham. "Parents deserve to know their children are being transported
safely, and that every bus driver has a good driving record."
The state employs 10,600
school bus drivers to transport 450,000 children, McCune told House
members, and approximately 1,500 new drivers come on the job each year
due to turnover. It costs school districts $5 to pull a copy of a school
bus driver’s abstract, but because those record checks typically happen
only once a year, bus drivers who lose their licenses during the school
year may not be flagged.
"We expect school bus
drivers to report themselves if their license becomes suspended or
revoked, but we've seen news reports recently that tell us the honor
system isn't working. That set off the alarm bells for me," McCune said.
Allowing schools to ask
for a bus driver's record at no cost, and requiring the Department of
Licensing to notify a district if one of its drivers loses his or her
license, is worth the 60,000 dollars that this legislation could cost
annually, McCune added.
"Most of our bus drivers
are safe. But 'most of' isn't good enough when the safety of our
children is involved," he said. "This bill went from introduction to
approval by the House in 10 days, which is the quickest that legislation
of mine has moved forward. That indicates how serious we are about
protecting children."
# # #
Contact: Rep. McCune
(360) 786-7284
Eric Campbell, House Republican Communications (360) 786-7720
|