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House removes scheduling deadline for student pedestrian and bicycle safety training
Summary
The Minnesota House on April 30 passed House File 1982 to remove a statutory deadline for districts to deliver active transportation safety instruction, giving schools greater flexibility to schedule pedestrian and bicycle safety lessons without changing annual training requirements. Vote: 133-0.
The Minnesota House on April 30 approved House File 1982, removing the statutory deadline for school districts to deliver active transportation safety training for students. The bill passed 133-0.
Supporters said the change preserves all required safety instruction — pedestrian lessons for kindergarten through third grade and bicycle training for fourth- and eighth-graders including helmet fit — while allowing districts flexibility to schedule the lessons at times that fit local needs.
Representative Zack Green (D–Hennepin), the bill’s author, told colleagues the measure is a “simple modification to an important act of transportation safety training that school districts are required to provide for all students.” He said the current deadline “sits close to the start of the school year, which unintentionally makes it logistically challenging to implement during the often hectic and already burdened few first few weeks of school.”
Green said the statute went into effect in August 2023 and described the content already required by statute: pedestrian safety for young students and bicycle safety — including proper helmet fit — for fourth- and eighth-graders. He urged members to “vote Green.”
Representative Wayne Johnson (R–Washington), who signed onto the bill, said the change was a bipartisan effort that “makes life a little bit easier for schools” without removing any required training. Other members who spoke in favor included Representative Bennett (R–Freeborn), Representative Kreeshaw (R–Morrison), and Representative Bakeberg (R–Scott), who noted the bill could align training with local events such as Walk/Bike to School activities.
With no amendments at the desk and no roll-call objections, the chief clerk recorded 133 ayes and 0 nays; the bill was passed and its title agreed to.
House File 1982 removes a scheduling deadline from statute and does not reduce or otherwise change the content of the required annual active transportation safety instruction. The change takes effect under normal enactment procedures unless otherwise specified in the text of the bill.
