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Committee backs bill allowing school districts to use stop‑arm cameras to curb illegal passings
Summary
Senate Bill 38, intended to reduce illegal passing of stopped school buses, was reported favorably after members debated whether enforcement should require a uniformed officer. Sponsors said cameras can document frequent violations and help small districts pay for equipment.
The House Transportation Committee on Thursday reported Senate Bill 38 with a committee substitute that allows school districts to use stop‑arm camera systems to document illegal passings and to collect civil penalties. Members debated whether final enforcement should rely on a camera‑initiated civil citation or require a uniformed officer to stop the vehicle.
Senator Greg Elkins (28th Senate District), the bill sponsor, said the proposal aims to address a “major problem” of drivers violating school bus stop arms. “1491 Kentucky school bus drivers were asked to keep track of every illegal passing over the course of 1 day,” Elkins said, citing a statewide voluntary survey; he said the survey recorded 489 illegal passings that day, including 11 on the right side where children board and exit.
Committee debate: Representative Hodgson urged exploring a model used for work zones in which a uniformed officer conducts an on‑site stop after a camera identifies a violation; Hodgson said he “struggled with the idea of allowing the computer to issue the ticket.” Sponsors and other members noted practical enforcement limits: an estimate cited in the hearing placed about 20,000 stop‑arm violations statewide in contrast with 361 law‑enforcement citations issued in 2023. Supporters said cameras could help smaller districts that cannot afford equipment and could fund enforcement through civil penalties. Representative McCool, who described being struck by a truck after getting off a school bus as a child, said he would vote yes.
Enforcement mechanics and process: The substitute contemplates that a school resource officer or local law enforcement would work with the school district when a camera documents a violation; the bill allows the owner to contest a citation in district court. The substitute also addresses fully autonomous vehicles in school service; language in the house substitute states school districts “shall not operate a fully autonomous vehicle as a school bus” as defined by statute.
Formal action: after debate the committee adopted the substitute and reported Senate Bill 38 with a favorable expression.
Next steps: sponsors said the measure is intended to allow districts to purchase and install stop‑arm cameras and to use civil penalties to maintain the systems; members asked for continued attention to enforcement mechanics and protections for contested citations.
