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Committee approves bill creating offense for failing to yield to merging transit buses
Summary
A Senate committee voted to advance Senate Bill 213, which would amend the state motor-vehicle code to require drivers to yield to transit buses that display an illuminated rear yield sign while merging from a designated stop; the measure creates a new traffic offense with a $25 penalty assessment.
Senate Bill 213, which would require drivers to yield the right of way to a transit bus that is merging into traffic from a designated bus stop while displaying an illuminated rear yield sign, was approved by the committee on a do-pass motion.
Sponsor Mr. Maynard told the committee the bill "amends the state motor vehicle code" and "creates a new traffic offense for failure to yield to a transit bus," adding the measure was prompted by local transit operators and is intended to improve safety. The bill would impose a $25 penalty assessment for a failure-to-yield violation tied to the bus’s illuminated sign.
The bill’s text limits the new offense to the specific situation of a bus merging from a designated stop while the rear yield sign is illuminated; the sponsor described the device as voluntary equipment that transit agencies could install to warn following motorists. Committee members asked whether current law already allowed officers to cite motorists for similar conduct; the sponsor said enforcement would be facilitated when the illuminated sign is present and noted the measure is intended as a safety enhancement rather than a broad change to right-of-way rules.
There was no public testimony recorded for or against the bill during this hearing. The chair called for a motion; a committee member moved a do-pass recommendation and, with no objections called on the floor, the committee advanced the bill to the next step. The sponsor said the measure had been before the governor previously and received no message of disapproval in the last cycle.
The bill does not specify implementation details such as how transit agencies would purchase or certify the lights, nor does it change existing right-of-way rules except for the narrowly defined new offense. The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript excerpt provided.
If enacted, the bill would create an administrative penalty tied to the described conduct; the transcript does not indicate whether law-enforcement training or a grace period for motorists is planned.
Votes at a glance: Committee motion: do pass (mover: not specified in transcript; outcome: approved by voice vote/no objection recorded).
Provenance: Sponsor presentation and committee Q&A occurred in the transcript starting with the sponsor’s explanation of the bill and ending with the do-pass motion and chair’s ruling.
