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House advances "Miles" bill requiring end‑of‑route school bus interior inspections
Summary
The House adopted an amendment and passed House Bill 369, a measure requiring school bus drivers to inspect the interior from front to back at the end of routes and adding disciplinary language; sponsor Representative Musselman cited a child left on a bus as impetus for the change.
The Utah House passed House Bill 369 on Feb. 25 after Representative Musselman described a case that inspired the measure: a child who remained on a bus at the end of his route and was discovered only after the driver restarted the route.
Musselman told colleagues the bill codifies an inspection practice already in place in many local education agencies by requiring drivers to perform an interior inspection from the front to the back of the bus at the end of each route. The bill also amends disciplinary provisions to reinforce compliance with the inspection requirement. "This codifies in code what is already done in many LEAs," Musselman said, adding that the change aims to reduce traumatic incidents for children.
An amendment to the bill was moved and adopted by voice vote after the sponsor said she and interested parties had negotiated acceptable language. Representative Chu and others rose in support, describing the proposal as a commonsense safety step that can prevent children from being left on buses.
With summation waived, the House voted to transmit HB369 to the Senate for further consideration.
The bill's proponents emphasized the safety rationale and the bill's aim to align statutory language with existing local practice.
