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House requires annual inspections for every school bus to improve student safety
Summary
First substitute SB 40 changes Utah's school-bus inspection program from random sampling to an annual inspection requirement for each bus (while retaining random checks), with sponsor citing that roughly 1-in-5 tested buses have failed mechanical checks; the House passed the bill unanimously (74–0).
The House approved first substitute Senate Bill 40 to require that every vehicle used to transport students undergo a safety inspection each year, moving from a predominantly random-inspection model to an annual required inspection while maintaining random checks.
Representative Hutchings, the House sponsor, said the change was prompted by years of conversation about school-bus safety and noted that under the current random-testing practice about one out of five tested buses fail with mechanical problems that would make them unroadworthy. He and other members clarified that the same highway-patrol crews and testing standards will be used; the bill standardizes the inspection frequency rather than changing inspectors or technical standards.
Members questioned details (frequency and overlap with current patrol inspections) and several speakers supported the bill on safety grounds. After waived summation the House recorded 74 yes votes and 0 no votes; SB 40 passed and will be returned to the Senate for its president's signature.
The bill changes inspection scheduling and reporting requirements; the transcript and sponsor comments reference a fiscal note and implementation through existing highway-patrol resources rather than creating new inspection agencies.
