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Committee advances bill to raise fine for passing stopped school bus to $250
Summary
The committee gave House Bill 1294 a due‑pass recommendation to increase the penalty for passing a stopped school bus with red lights to $250; proponents cited enforcement camera evidence and public safety concerns.
Senators in the Transportation Committee voted to give House Bill 1294 a due‑pass recommendation after discussing evidence that motorists frequently ignore stopped school buses with flashing red lights and extended stop arms.
Senator Rummel moved for a due pass on the bill, which raises the fine for passing a stopped school bus from the existing level to $250. Committee members said they had seen photo and video evidence of motorists passing stopped buses and that law enforcement officers and bus drivers had urged a stiffer penalty to deter that dangerous conduct.
Senator Paulson said he generally dislikes raising fees but supports tougher penalties in this case given the risk to children and the clear video evidence shown to the committee. The motion to give HB 1294 a due pass carried on a roll call with Vice Chair Corey, Senators Hogan, Klein, Paulson, Romo and Chairman Clemens all voting aye; a committee member later volunteered to carry the bill on the floor.
The committee did not discuss specifics of enforcement mechanics or point penalties at length during the action; those details would be considered in subsequent committee markup or floor debate.
