Committee advances optional school‑bus camera program after privacy tweaks

Representative David Hale introduced House Bill 7, saying the bill would let school districts contract with vendors to place cameras on buses that record only while a stop arm is extended to catch motorists who illegally pass stopped buses. "There was around 1,600 violations in 1 day," Hale said, citing an education‑department survey of participating drivers.

The bill is permissive, Hale said: districts would "opt in" rather than be required to use cameras. Under the proposal, vendors or manufacturers would collect recordings, share potential violations with local law‑enforcement agencies, and districts could recoup installation costs from fines. Hale described the proposed penalties as $300 for a first offense and $500 for subsequent offenses within three years.

Senator Boswell, explaining his vote, recounted a fatal crash he encountered in his former insurance work and said the bill was "long overdue." Senator Nunn said initial privacy concerns were addressed by changes in the committee sub, and Senator Tichenor urged data collection from participating districts so lawmakers could evaluate whether a future mandate was warranted.

The committee adopted a committee sub narrowing the bill to violations involving a stopped school bus and then passed HB7 out of committee unanimously, 9–0. Chair Deneen said the committee will hold the bill for the floor calendar and placed it on the consent list for consideration there.

What happens next: HB7 moves to the full chamber; the committee recommended passage and placed the bill on consent for floor consideration.