Committee hears bill to let transportation network companies run state fingerprint checks for school drivers

The House Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education heard testimony on House Bill 538, sponsored by Representative Dane Deel, a measure that would let transportation network companies apply to use the state's fingerprint-access system to run background checks on drivers who transport students.

Supporters told the committee the change would speed hiring and reduce burdens on school districts. Lauren Hulse of HopSkip Drive, a private company that arranges vetted caregivers to transport children, said the company currently works in about 26 Missouri districts and relies on districts to run fingerprint checks for contracted drivers. "It would allow us to apply to the highway patrol to become a qualified entity in order to run the background checks ourselves," Hulse said, adding that HopSkip Drive operates in about 600 districts across 14 states and that about 42% of its Missouri rides are for homeless youth.

Representative Dane Deel said the bill is largely a technical follow-up to earlier legislation that permitted transportation network companies to partner with districts. "The real fix is just allowing these companies access to the fingerprint, the state fingerprint network," Deel said, adding there are a few drafting issues and that he will work with the committee chair on clarifications, especially about how the bill treats charter schools.

During questioning, committee members pressed for specifics about what changed from earlier versions of the policy and why the sponsor narrowed language that previously named the governing board of a charter school. Deel acknowledged the change and said he would provide clarifying language. He also said the bill is a scaled-back version of earlier proposals and that the sponsor has contacted the highway patrol and other organizations while drafting the language.

No formal vote or committee action was recorded in the transcript. The committee took public testimony from HopSkip Drive; the hearing record shows proponents only and the chair closed public testimony before moving on to the next item on the agenda.

The sponsor and witnesses said safety — including completion of FBI and state background checks — remains the priority; the bill would change which entity can initiate the fingerprint check process. Committee members and the sponsor identified several drafting clarifications needed, notably consistent references to "school district or charter school" in multiple sections and the treatment of charter governance. The bill will return to committee for further drafting and a prospective substitute before any recorded action.