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Committee hears testimony on bill to restore judicial discretion in school-bus passing fines; members table measure
Summary
Lawmakers and family members of a child killed after a driver passed a stopped school bus debated a substitute to House Bill 344 that would change civil and criminal fines and restore judge discretion; the committee moved to table the bill after public testimony.
Representative Don Parsons introduced House Bill 344, a substitute that would change penalties for drivers who pass stopped school buses while children are boarding or disembarking and direct resulting civil penalties to school-safety funds. The committee voted to table the bill after extended testimony and debate.
The substitute would set a civil penalty “not less than $500 nor more than $1,000,” and make the moving-traffic violation punishable at not less than $500 and up to $1,000 “as it is now,” but would explicitly restore judicial discretion over the amount, Representative Mitchell Scoggins told the committee. Scoggins said the change responds to cases in which judges presently have no practical ability to reduce or place a fine on payment plan because the law, as amended in 2024, set a mandatory $1,000 civil penalty.
Why it matters: Supporters said restoring discretion lets judges consider…
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