Public Transportation- House

s uh Uh, Senate bill 202 is first on the agenda, but I don't see Representative Beatty, so, uh, Representative McIlroy, would you go ahead and run House Bill 15, is that 1530 or 36? 1536. You may proceed. If you're here to sign to speak for or against the bill, be sure and sign up, please. Thank you. Thank you committee. Uh. I know you've got some calls on this bill this morning and nothing like stirring up a, a wash nest just talking about seat belts on school bus, you'd think that, that, that would be a no brainer, but it, it really stirs up some emotion, but, uh, actually, I, uh, I'm gonna give you a little background into this bill. All this bill does is put teeth in a, hang on just a minute. It puts teeth in a bill that I passed in 2017. And uh Hang on just a minute because it's kind of complicated and that one of the reasons. This bill asked to bill I passed in 2017. The original bill is a local control bill that allowed patrons of a school district to petition a local school board as a replace older buses with new ones to include seat belts. If 10% of the registered voters of that school district signed a petition. The school board can figure the millage it would take to cover the additional costs of the seat belts, which was about $12,000 in 2017, but now it's about 20,000. They would place the question and the millage increase on the ballot at the next regular school board election because there's no free lunch and, uh, it would be on a, if you wanted the seat belts on there and the military it would cost and you'd have to vote for the tax in it too. Or They could forego the election from this time forward and replace older buses, they would Purchase new ones equipped with seatbelts. OK, I carried this, this is, this is why this law is going in place. I actually carried the petition in my school district. And 10% is a pretty heavy lift. Most of them are like 3%. But anyway, I went and got the required uh signatures and uh I took it to my local school board as superintendent, and the superintendent, uh, looked it over and said, well, he wanted the, the forego option because he didn't want to, uh, Hang on. Hang on, I'm, I present it to the superintendent in 2018. He chose to forego the election process and save the mileage increase for a larger project, maybe like a cafeteria or something and rather a $12,000. Increase. Now, the problem is the life expectancy on a diesel bus is about 12 to 20 years, so I waited patiently from 2018. To 2024. And in November of 2024. They purchased a new school bus with air conditioning, which, by the way, is a lot more than the, the seat belts, power steering, cameras, automatic transmission. But no seat belts for restraint. And as fate would have it, guess who's. Grandson, 11 year old grandson, rides that school bus. Yep. I contacted my local school board member, in November and I said, look, you know, I carried that petition. The law says you can do either one or the other. Uh, but, uh, you know, this seat, they don't have seat belts. He said, Well, I thought they had seatbelts on it, but I will get back to you. Well, that was in November, and I hadn't heard anything yet. It's not just about the children's safety. There were over 300 people signed that petition that wanted to either vote on it, vote on seatbelts or vote against seat belts. We complied. With a letter of the law. And I think the school district needs to be compelled to do the same thing. I think they thumbed their nose and thought, well, at the time, we had 6-year terms, so they thought I'd probably be gone by now. every 2 years they try that, but I'm here and uh you understand why I'm asking and all this affects as far as I know, is that one school district, because I carried. ition myself. And, uh, at the time, I passed this in 2017. We were one of 4 states in the United States that had a seat belt on, and this is a local control. You let the people decide because God forbid, when a child gets killed on a school bus, they won't blame somebody. I made it uh uh avenue where they can, the people can decide if they want it on it. Can't blame me. Can't blame the school board. It's up to them to decide. But uh since then, there have been 4 more states that have passed this law and they actually called me from Maine, and, uh, and, uh, Nevada and several states asking, can they use this, this law because of the local control issue on it. And, and all this law does, all this law does. It says, if you don't do one or the other. If you don't put it on the next, the next election, school board election, let the people vote on it with the military, or you just forego it and, uh, put seatbelts on the bus as they buy new ones on their own. Then, uh, you know, all we're asking you to do is comply with what the law says. Do one or the other. And uh if you don't, then your transportation money will be a help until. do one or the other. And with that, I'd take any questions. Representative McElroy, what, what, what's been the kickback? What do you think's been the problem? I know we've been talking about seat belts and and buses for years. We've heard pros and cons. What do you think the, the real kickback is? Why, why do they not want to do that? Surely it's not just the money. There's got to be another reason. Well, well, you know, there's always been an argument that, uh, before that it's safer because of compact, you know, it, it compacts as it. Uh, and since then, and since I passed that law, the National Transportation Safety Board since they started putting cameras in these buses, they're starting to see these roll over and in a roll over, uh, scenario, what happens is the kids go throwing, get bouncing on the walls and then they actually go out of the bus. So now the National Transportation, uh, agency has changed its stance on it that they recommend that it does, you know, it does say. Lives. You know, it's it's kind of odd that my lawnmower got to say seatbelts on it, but the only time and when you get a kid at the hospital when you pick up your baby, you got to strap them in or they won't let you leave the hospital, but the only time that they're not strapped in is when they ride a school bus. And uh you know, and I and I really think the pushback, it's a very volatile, you know, as today, I just, I just want to put teeth in the bill and I had all kinds of people calling me, you know, and, uh, it's It's not just about the money, but what one reason I think this law works pretty well, is that let the people decide. Let them vote on it. The local folks, if they want it, they can do it. And if they don't want it, then it's on our hands if something happens, but uh uh. I hope I've answered your question, Mr. Chair. You did, uh, any questions from committee? I'm surprised, OK Representative Torres. Thank you, Representative McIlroy, thanks for being here. OK, alright, thanks, thanks for bringing this to our attention, I guess my my question just to confirm this can go to the local school district, they can put it on the ballot for a village to pay for seat belts that can retro. That older buses and so forth. No, I'm sorry. No, this is not about older buses when we pass it only the new ones going forward and because, you know, um, with common sense to tell you that you got one school district might have, well, different, different ones, but it would be just too cost uh prohibited to put them on all the buses and it, it costs about $30,000 to retrofit one and some of the buses, let's be honest, are probably not. worth $10,000 you know. So common sense, just this as they go forward. And what, what really bothered me about this is that If, uh, you know, Yeah It took 5 or 6 years to get a new bus and we get seat belts on that new one. I won't live long enough to see all the buses, you know, get seat belts on them, but eventually, you know, you got to start somewhere, and I, I'm just trying to clarify the law from 20017, OK, so basically then it's all new buses so the local folks can vote that yes, we want seat belts on any and all new buses, but if they decide. that they don't wanna do that, then they automatically default to having to add, uh, seat belts to any new buses going forward, is that right? So if, if it doesn't if it fails, no, everything stays the same, yeah, if, if, if it goes to election and the election, they, you fails, then nothing changes. But it doesn't keep the school district from You know, arbitrarily saying, hey, we're, we're gonna order them, you know, with seat belts on them. You know, if they decide to do that on their own, yeah, yeah. This is just an avenue where the local people can take control of the, of their destiny, I guess. OK. Thank you. It was in Stein. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, uh, Representative McElroy, bringing this bill forward here. Uh, how are you going to police, uh, the use of these seatbelts. I mean, are you going to require every student to wear a seatbelt if these uh school buses have them or how how would it be implemented? Will it just be a waste of time in your opinion because you and I rode on school buses a long time, probably back in the day, they didn't have seatbelts and And I know it's, it's a different era we have now, but you really think these seat belts will be, uh, put to use. Well, that's that is up to the school district decide how they want to implement this, you know, my, my thoughts were, uh, you know, you, you've got the kids that need the extra credit, you know, for, uh, for community service, you could get a child that, my understanding, the bus is kind of like my. Wife's car has got lights on it to tell you which seat belts are buckled and which are not. I was envisioning a nerdy kid like myself to walk down the aisle and say, OK, buckle your seatbelts or whatever, but it's up to this. It's a local control bill. So I'm not trying to tell them how to do this, uh, you know, all we're doing, and matter of fact, all I'm doing is making an avenue where the local people can do, decide if they want to or not. So. So is this, is this not already an option to where they can if they choose to do so to, to purchase a school bus with seat belts, and a lot of school districts are already doing that. Yeah, this is, this is just for the public to have their input in it. So, OK. All right. Thank you, Mr. Chair. OK. Any other questions? I would, I would assume if, if a, if a school chose to do that, I, I know what a school bus driver has a lot of responsibility, you know, it's a matter of fact, it's, it's not as easy a job as it once was, so I would assume that responsibility would come back to him, say, if they did choose to enforce and put. Uh, I don't know how they would monitor it, other than him. Well, I, uh, Mr. Chair, I used to drive a school bus back then you could drive a school bus in your senior year in school. I don't know what they were thinking back then. I actually drove a load of cheerleaders up to Fayetteville. Uh, I wouldn't do, I, I don't know what they were thinking, but anyway. Uh, the school bus driver's job, uh, is, is a is an intensive job. You've got to concentrate and you've got kids hollering and talking to you at the same time, but you're, you're number one priority is the safety of those kids, and they take, we take it seriously or I did, and I'm sure they do, they take it seriously, but, uh, you know, 11 thing, uh, a lot of, a lot of the children today don't ride the school bus like we did. Everybody rode a school bus when I. I was a kid. But when they go off on trips on, uh, you know, basketball games, football games, and band and things where they get out on the freeway. Uh, it, it really would, uh, I think, uh, be. Advantageous to have them buckled up, you know, as they're going down the freeway. But that's just my, my personal opinion. I'm not trying to put that on y'all. All I'm saying, this law has been in place since 20017 and, and the, the, the sky hadn't fell yet. All I'm doing is putting some teeth in it because I feel like That, uh, if the people go to the trouble to sign that petition, you ought to give them their right to vote on it one way or the other. And OK. Representative Richmond. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just make sure that I've got this in mind, how I think it is that really this bill is narrowly focused. On that school district that the people Come up with a petition, they spoke, and then that school district simply does not go and finish the process of putting it on the ballot and allowing them To have a say on this thing. And so what you're trying to do is, is that the people have done all of the things that they were supposed to do and then the school board, superintendent, whoever went, well, I don't care. Well, I, I don't know that necessarily that they, they did not care because the superintendent has changed, you know, they changed superintendents over the, the years, but, uh, I'm sure the school board knew because, uh, when you even mentioned school seat belts, y'all see how many calls you got today, so they knew that I carried it and uh uh. They, they would rather, you know, make the decision to just forego that but I don't know if it was just an oversight, but Uh, I'm sure they'll call me this afternoon. They probably dialing the phone now. But, uh, all I'm asking them to do is just comply with this law. As far as I know, I'm the only, the only school district that is that is tried this law out, and I'm glad I did because I found out a flaw in it because there's nothing, there's, there's no stick or whip or carrot to get them to do what they said they were gonna do. All right, thank you. Any other questions from the committee? Alright Represented Walmart. Well, I just have a motion at the proper time. OK. All right, no more. I say no more questions. Anyone here to testify for or against the bill. Seeing none, uh, if you've got questions now, ask him here before he gets to the floor. If you got any concerns, let's, let's, let's air it out here before we take it to the house floor so and and I would appreciate it. I know that there, there's gonna be a lot of misconceptions about this bill, and I know y'all got a lot of calls this morning. And if y'all could just kind of explain to them that all I'm doing is putting some teeth in a uh existing law that's been in since 2017. And with that I'll close. OK. It's in Walmart? Have a motion do passes is there any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor, say I opposed, say I. All right, your bill passes. Congratulations. Uh. I do not I do not see Representative Beatty for Senate Bill 202. Uh, let's take just a, just a couple of minutes break. Let me make a phone call since we're here, uh. So if you will is is huh let's recess for just about 5 minutes, OK? It's cold. He's walking in the Mac building door now, so we'll go ahead and hear his bill as soon as he comes in. OK, Representative Beatty, you ready? OK. Representative Beatty, you ready? Senate Bill 202, is that correct? All right, you may proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Representative Howard Beatty, District 95, apologize for being late as an insurance and commerce on the bill, um, here today to present Senate Bill 202, uh, is an agency bill, uh, and an act to amend the law concerning the statutory bonding requirements for construction projects of the state. Um Basically, um, This bill is just a small modification on the bonding, uh, language, um. And I'll, you, you look at the strikeout on the Bills to ensure that each contract, uh, uh, between a bidder and the commission's fully executed, completed, and that the bonds fully covered the exposure of the state. That language had not been in there in the past, uh, so we're adding that language to make certain states protected. If that, uh, entertaining questions. Any questions from committee? Seeing none anyone here testify for or against the bill? Excuse me. Representative Torres? He's stealing. Punch it again. All right, now All right, here we go, yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, Representative Beatty is 25% or a quarter of the contract price strong enough, uh, to protect the state. I think that was the old language, the 25%, uh, that, that you're referencing mentioned online 35. So this is to, um, to make certain that they fully covered the exposure of the state. OK, so it'll be whatever that dollar figure is. OK, got it. Thank you. OK. Any other questions? Seeing none, anyone here testify for or against the bill. Seeing none represent Beatty. I'm closed, uh, appreciate the committee's consideration. I appreciate a motion do pass and a good vote. Oak What's the will of the committee, Representative Richmond, motion to pass. Any discussion? All in favor, say I. Any opposes same like sign, hearing non. Congratulations, you'll be a passes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you committee. I promise not to keep you waiting, uh, all right, well, don't have any other business coming before the committee today right now as it stands, we will meet again next Tuesday. All right? We stand adjourned.