Stop-arm camera bill could send about $350 per violation to district transportation funds, presenter says

Miss Simas briefed the Grand Rapids Public Schools legislative committee on a bill aimed at motorists who run school bus stop arms. The presenter said the proposal would authorize stop-arm cameras mounted on the bus arm, create digital video evidence automatically transmitted to local law enforcement, and redirect approximately $350 in civil fine revenue per violation back to school district transportation departments. "It does not require any funding from the state, and it may result in a small to medium sized windfall to transportation departments," she said.

Miss Simas said the bill passed the House with broad bipartisan support last fall, advanced out of a Senate committee, and was expected to move to the Senate floor in the coming weeks. She described the newest technological element as the automatic feed to law enforcement, which goes beyond the short-recording cameras currently used by some districts.

Trustees asked whether GRPS buses already have stop-arm cameras. Miss Simas replied she did not believe GRPS currently has them and noted some districts do. "I do not know if GRPS does. I do not believe so," she said, adding that districts that already use cameras typically record and then turn footage over to law enforcement rather than having an automated transmission.

Miss Simas said she would send a written summary with the revisions once committees met and the district would follow-up if implementation or funding questions required staff capacity review. The committee did not take any formal action on this item during the meeting.