Committee hears DPS bill to expand school‑bus training use, update first‑aid kits and inspection numbering
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Summary
The Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee reviewed a Department of Public Safety bill that would let non‑district trainers use yellow school buses for behind‑the‑wheel training, require contractors to have a USDOT number to aid inspections, and modernize Type 3 first‑aid kits with phased implementation through 2030.
The Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee on Monday heard testimony on Senate File 3985, a Department of Public Safety policy bill that would adjust state school‑bus rules to support training, tighten inspection transparency and modernize first‑aid equipment.
Senator Johnson Stewart, who carried the measure, said the bill updates several existing provisions. Lieutenant Bridal Ryu of the State Patrol, testifying as the agency's state director of pupil transportation, said the bill expands the legal definition of a school bus so community colleges and third‑party CDL trainers can use yellow school buses for required behind‑the‑wheel instruction without repainting vehicles.
"This would expand the use of the school bus to those testing schools like a CDL testing school such as a community college," Lieutenant Ryu said, adding the change would reduce the burden on districts that lack staff to provide that training.
The bill also would require carriers used by districts to obtain a U.S. DOT number so the State Patrol can track inspections in its existing commercial‑vehicle inspection software. "Getting the U.S. DOT number does not cost them anything; they can do it in a matter of minutes on the federal motor carrier safety website," Lieutenant Ryu said, describing the change as a transparency and inspection efficiency measure.
Another provision would update the Type 3 first‑aid kit standard. Ryu said current language dates to 1994 and lists obsolete items; the proposal would require a modernized kit for new vehicles beginning with model year 2027 and phase in compliance across fleets by 2030.
Committee members pressed agency witnesses on operational details. Senator Jaczynski asked whether third‑party trainers could use stop arms and eight‑way lights on public roads; Ryu replied the bill allows use of the vehicle for on‑road training but would continue to prohibit practicing stop‑arm deployments and eight‑way stops in live traffic, recommending those exercises be done in parking lots or closed areas so the law's stop‑arm protections for children are not undermined.
Ryu also clarified a related point of law: under Minnesota statute, school buses must stop at railroad crossings whether they are carrying students or not, a distinction he said remains unchanged.
The committee recorded a motion by Chair Dibble to lay Senate File 3985 on the table for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill. No vote on the bill was taken and the measure was tabled for now.
If enacted as described in committee testimony, the bill would: permit behind‑the‑wheel training in existing yellow school buses for approved trainers, require contractors to obtain USDOT numbers to support inspections, and update Type 3 first‑aid kits with a 2027 start for new vehicles and a 2030 fleet phase‑in.
