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Senate committee advances bill creating $25 penalty for failing to yield to merging transit buses
Summary
Senate Bill 213 would add a traffic offense requiring motorists to yield to transit buses that display an illuminated rear "yield" sign when merging from a designated stop; the committee gave the bill a do-pass recommendation.
Senate Judiciary Committee members heard testimony and voted to advance Senate Bill 213, which would add a new traffic offense and a $25 penalty assessment for drivers who fail to yield to a transit bus that displays an illuminated yield sign while merging from a designated bus stop.
The bill’s sponsor told the committee SB 213 “amends state motor vehicle code” to require drivers to yield to the right-of-way to a transit bus, and said the measure is voluntary for transit systems that install the illuminated sign. “I feel that it's a very safety feature to the system and anything that we can do to prevent any kind of accidents,” the sponsor said.
Supporters framed the change as a targeted safety measure prompted by transit agencies in Albuquerque; the sponsor said the device would warn vehicles behind a bus that it is merging. Committee members asked about prior history of the bill and whether the governor had acted on it; the sponsor said the version before the committee is the same one that the governor previously received but did not act on.
There was no registered public testimony in support or opposition during the hearing. After brief discussion the committee took a do-pass motion. Senator Majestas moved a do-pass recommendation; the chair announced the bill would be returned to the private calendar with a do-pass recommendation.
The committee record did not include a roll-call tally in the available transcript. The bill text in committee limits the rule to transit buses displaying an illuminated rear yield sign and explicitly excludes passenger vans from the requirement.
If enacted, the bill would create a new state traffic offense with a fixed penalty assessment; the transcript includes the $25 amount as the proposed sanction.
No additional implementation details (for example, whether the sign must meet a technical standard) were included in the committee exchange.
Votes at a glance: The committee issued a do-pass recommendation on Senate Bill 213; sponsor and mover recorded as Senator Majestas. No roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript provided.
