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Panel debates SB 291 to allow buses on hazardous routes within two miles of school
Summary
S.B. 291 would let districts use existing state transportation funding for students living within two miles if their walking route is hazardous. Witnesses described local dangerous crossings; sponsors said a substitute will narrow hazardous‑route definitions to avoid an unfunded mandate. The transcript records a voice vote but contains contradictory language about the final outcome.
S.B. 291, a proposal to let districts qualify some students who live within two miles of their school for state transportation funding when walking routes are hazardous, drew testimony about local dangers and broad concern about fiscal and definitional complexity.
Senator Buss described the bill as narrowly focused: it would define "hazardous routes" and allow districts to claim existing state transportation reimbursement for an added stop or a second bus wave when an otherwise ineligible student must cross a high‑speed road, multiple lanes, or a high‑crash intersection. "It just makes these routes or stops qualify for that existing transportation funding," he told the committee.
Residents and local leaders gave concrete examples. Zach Huish, an Eagle Mountain city councilor, described a middle school his daughter attends that sits across SR‑73 (55 mph). He said families have resorted to carpooling after the district said it lacked funds for a dedicated bus. Several Granite School District speakers warned that defining "hazardous" too broadly could create a large fiscal obligation for districts already covering unfunded routes.
Senators discussed a working substitute, opt‑in provisions and a plan to avoid an unfunded mandate. The sponsor said he would work with districts to narrow criteria and to craft an opt‑in substitute. The committee conducted a voice vote on a motion to send the bill with a favorable recommendation; the transcript records affirmative 'aye' responses and includes the chair’s statement that the motion 'fails' — a contradictory record that the committee should clarify in its minutes.
What happens next: Sponsor indicated he is drafting a substitute to narrow the hazardous‑route definition and to avoid creating an unfunded mandate; the committee adjourned pending any future consideration.
