[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6629855,"mediaKeyId","2702278-1d5aaa271654b47149a218bed78eaec8","parentId",2702278,"title","Senator Yakawich presents bill to require human‑trafficking awareness training for school bus drivers","audioSeconds",286,"startMs",1293000,"endMs",1579538,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2702278-1d5aaa271654b47149a218bed78eaec8&start=1293&end=1579","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2702278-1d5aaa271654b47149a218bed78eaec8/thumbnail_1293000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6629855/Montana/Senator-Yakawich-presents-bill-to-require-humantrafficking-awareness-training-for-school-bus-drivers","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629855-84228418c51f6520db5ce76f7d742c29/orig.mp4?Expires=1775937535&Signature=WzkYONdnZbyW0eRQbPWHNTN8tM6kHCud6O8oB47xUhVURDCB9~Eu2L3djcNM2Grs3vghX9aEntF0SbD4VoJaeW12j~zLC5QPVPoJa2qa1N43nC4lokzgE-jngu9twCHZjUJsmD3QRzSUFaPy0Cy7SpHgrCWjm8xlTSlHp0CU~f4-5ShoN-mwocKl1rfdv~jh8PfVndiUzccJY-gmKGWTSX7xrnzzPdaDoyBDI7iVRvBbGIvo7JNoQ5~jZ9PSj-cIuhYFe8i1nrcxiJ9XeC3-M4EFT14GoGTtcFRALxQE-7E4-cfvm4RTEUJBhD4jcwIRxIPLQ5-m2ul0Eric8wkuiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montana Legislature","date","2025-03-19T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Mike Yakawich presented Senate Bill 245 to the Montana House Transportation Committee, describing the measure as an \"extra eyes on the kids\" bill that would add human‑trafficking awareness training for school bus drivers without adding local cost.

\"I like to call this, extra eyes on the kids bill,\" Senator Yakawich said, saying the proposal would educate bus drivers to recognize potential signs of trafficking and help prevent exploitation.

Yakawich told the committee he has worked in the human‑trafficking field for more than 15 years and said the bill would not add instructional hours but instead ask the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) and the Board of Education to carve roughly 40 minutes out of the existing 15 hours of driver education for a short, no‑cost online course. He said participants would receive a certificate of completion and that the Truckers Against Trafficking online course is an example of a resource being discussed.

The senator said the course takes about 30 minutes and that the bill was developed with input from OPI, the Board of Education, local school districts (including School District 2), bus driver associations and the Yellowstone County human‑trafficking task force. Yakawich also said the school bus standards handbook already addresses safety, emergency procedures and sensitivity topics that the bill would complement.

Yakawich handed committee staff a printed handout and emphasized the measure is intended to be low‑cost to districts: \"We're not asking for any more hours. We're asking that OPI and the Board of Education would carve out 40 minutes from the 15 hours for education,\" he said.

The transcript shows the presentation and the distribution of materials but records no committee vote or formal action on the measure during this session. The item therefore remains at the committee presentation stage in the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Transportation - Mar 19, 2025 15:00 - 18:00","oneSentenceSummary","Senator Mike Yakawich presented Senate Bill 245 to the Montana House Transportation Committee, describing it as an \"extra eyes on the kids\" measure to add no‑cost human‑trafficking awareness training for school bus drivers.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MT, Montana","taxId",77694,"location","Montana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6629860,"House Transportation Committee concurs with bill to limit green lights on public highways",281,304000,585000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2702278-1d5aaa271654b47149a218bed78eaec8&start=304&end=585","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2702278-1d5aaa271654b47149a218bed78eaec8/thumbnail_304000.jpg","/articles/6629860/Montana/House-Transportation-Committee-concurs-with-bill-to-limit-green-lights-on-public-highways","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629860-94648a791d2e18b64d9e68e3ac21bf7f/orig.mp4?Expires=1775937535&Signature=TeOdIIkTJsulg59~QsHCuNOoSLX7jX5wjnQVd0OFRc1Nlf~INcEIHHhNR0cI92rjVvK5YY8UMNS5Kv5e2Em4gJc3q9FaFEwWrhtYBUC4NwqXBqC-19aKX~FpZkcD-LelU4ZnouVkYCThJM~IfvAeDg1yOXt8b3AeE~vX0Rc8uCPZBkOfbLO6IZTJZA~EDk1BJUQ1tZpJOH8HXSFVJ11CzZdGJyiRWv2g6TT6~DbHjWmBAU7g0m62hgA58hvyPBKRg-2RAYcBybCgDR7XeEF7QYZIf-Np2lzgdpuxY5rVK8tULZOmfXclJMbCTz7TTHwgXBzhj0M7g7dRuDsGMmGKVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Montana House Transportation Committee unanimously concurred in Senate Bill 111 during executive action, adopting an amendment that narrows permitted uses of flashing, rotating or continuous green lights on public highways.

The amendment, numbered SB111.001.003, places the green-light provisions into an existing statutory section that governs special restrictions on vehicle lamps. Committee staff member Casey told members the change integrates green lights into the statute that already regulates driving a vehicle on a highway with certain lamps.

\"This amendment includes green lights into a section of current statute that is related to driving or moving a vehicle on a highway with certain types of lamps,\" Casey said. He described the covered lights as \"flashing, rotating or continuous\" and said the provision is intended to limit their use to government-operated snow-removal equipment and on-scene incident commanders.

Vice Chair Bowne moved the amendment; Vice Chair Baum moved that the committee concur in Senate Bill 111 as amended. The committee adopted the amendment by voice vote, and then concurred in the bill by voice vote. Committee members voting by proxy and recorded as voting aye included Representatives Cafaro, Fitzpatrick, Sullivan, Cochran, Darling and Sprunger; no no votes or abstentions were recorded in the transcript. Chair Durham announced the concurrence and that Representative Cochran will carry the bill on the House floor.

Because the amendment places the green-light language into an existing lamp-restrictions statute, the bill's sponsor and staff said the change avoids creating a separate, potentially fragmented section of code. The committee did not take further action beyond concurring in the amended bill; the measure will advance to the House floor for second reading.

The transcript shows the committee handled the item during its executive-action portion and recorded the voice votes, including several proxy ayes; no roll-call tally with a numerical breakdown was provided in the record.","The Montana House Transportation Committee unanimously concurred with Senate Bill 111 after adopting an amendment that places restrictions on flashing, rotating or continuous green lights, limiting them to snow-removal equipment operated by government agencies and incident commanders. The bill will advance to the House floor for second reading.","actionData","errors"]

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Senator Yakawich presents bill to require human‑trafficking awareness training for school bus drivers

House Transportation Committee concurs with bill to limit green lights on public highways