House Education Committee clears bill allowing school-district vehicles to use flashing amber or white lights

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The House Education Committee on Feb. 21 voted to give Senate File 5 a “due pass” recommendation after hearing testimony that the measure would improve safety for rural student transport.

Senate File 5, sponsored in the House by Representative John Winter, would allow vehicles owned, leased or registered to a public school district that are not school buses but are used to transport students to display flashing white and amber lights. The bill does not authorize the swing‑out red stop signs used on school buses.

Committee members heard that the change targets rural districts that sometimes use smaller vehicles such as Suburbans to pick up a handful of students when a full school bus is not practical. Shane Ogden, superintendent of Park County School District 16, said those vehicles are often traveling on two‑lane roads with 70 mph speed limits and that flashing lights can alert following drivers when conditions — for example, making a left turn in poor weather — make slower driving prudent. “When they see a light, they’re going to slow down a little bit,” Ogden said.

Boyd Brown, executive director of the Wyoming Association of School Administrators, told the committee the lights are a safety measure for areas with heavy industrial traffic. “It just lets people know that they’re there,” Brown said, adding that school buses already may display white or amber flashing lights.

Nick Bell, representing the Wyoming School Boards Association, said the measure aligns with the association’s advocacy agenda on school safety and noted his own experience driving on state highways where rumble strips made the difference in arriving safely. He and other supporters stressed the bill would not prohibit passing such vehicles; rather, it is intended to increase visibility.

With no public opponents appearing in committee, Representative Strauch moved the bill with Representative Gugamos seconding. The committee recorded 9 ayes and the measure was given a due‑pass recommendation to the full House.

Votes at committee: the clerk announced nine ayes; those recorded in the roll call included Representatives Bratton, Erickson, Guggenmoss, Kelly, Vice Chair Lawley, Straka, Williams and two absentee aye votes recorded for Representative Singh and Chairman Andrew. The committee did not record any no votes during the roll call on Senate File 5.

The bill text authorizes only flashing white and amber lights for qualifying district vehicles and does not add stop‑arm authority or the red swing‑out stop signs that are used on school buses.

Senate File 5 will proceed to the House floor with a committee recommendation of due pass.

— Reporting for the House Education Committee hearing on Feb. 21, 2025.