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INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS New Iowa Law on Illegally Passing School


Buses Inspires Federal Bill Te House is considering legislation that would extend penalties nationwide to motorists


who are convicted of passing stopped school buses and would threaten to cut federal high- way funds to states that don’t comply. Rep. Bruce Braley (D–Iowa) introduced “Kadyn’s Act” in memory of 7-year-old Kadyn Halverson, who was killed last May by a motorist who ille- gally passed a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended. Te driver, Aaron Gunderson, was later arrested with drugs in his system. He pleaded guilty to felony vehicular homicide and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Halverson’s mother Kari and her family lobbied for a law to toughen Iowa’s penalties for illegal


passing. Te legislature approved the bill earlier this month, and Gov. Terry Branstad signed “Kadyn’s Law” in mid-March. Braley’s bill would require all states to increase fines for first-time offenders to $250 and the pos-


sibility of 30 days in jail. A second offense committed within the next five years would result in a fine from $385 to $1,875 and up to a year in jail. A federal law could also cut state federal highway funds by 10 percent for each year the state fails to adopt the standards.


New Indiana Bills Halt


School Bus Fees Neither Franklin Township Community Schools nor any


other Indiana school district longer can charge school bus fees after Gov. Mitch Daniels signed into law HB 1134 that takes ef- fect July 1. It bans school districts from charging parents bus fees for regular home-to-school transportation. Te law applies to districts that provide transportation in-house, contract with a private bus operator or, as in Franklin Township’s case, local educational service centers. But, schools may continue to charge fees for extracurricular activity trips. Daniels also signed into law a second bill that aims to


help schools with financial problems to refinance their debt. Together, these two laws change Franklin Township’s transportation policies and prevent other districts from implementing such a policy. Last year, Franklin Township contracted its bus service with


the Central Indiana Education Service Center due to a budget shortfall and charged families $50 a month per school-bus passenger. In November, parent Lora Hoagland filed a lawsuit against Franklin Township over the fees. At press time, she was awaiting a ruling to determine whether it would become a class-action lawsuit.


New Hours of Service Rule in


Effect for Commercial Drivers Te first compliance date for new, controversial federal Hours


of Service regulations came and went on Feb. 27. Although most of the rules affect only property-carrying drivers, the amendments that affect passenger-carrying drivers modify the definition of “on-duty.” J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc., which assists transportation


companies in complying with new regulations, explained that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration allows time spent by these drivers, including some school bus drivers who work for private contractors that engage in interstate travel, to rest in a parked commercial motor vehicle and still be considered off duty. Te new Hours of Service rules also reduce allowable,


weekly work hours of commercial drivers by 15 percent, on average — from 82 hours to about 70 hours. Te American Trucking Associations filed a petition with


the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that seeks a legal review on several aspects of the rule. At this writing, STN was unable to determine if any further action had been taken by FMCSA.


Study: Transportation Employees More Prone to Sleepiness on the Job Compared to other transportation workers, school bus drivers


are more likely to get the most rest and could be safer as a result, according to a groundbreaking national survey on sleep hab- its. Te National Sleep Foundation’s 2012 Sleep in America poll showed that many transportation workers struggle with sleep. One in five pilots acknowledged a serious error tied to their lack of sleep, and one in six train operators and truck drivers say that sleepiness has led to a “near miss.” But only 12 percent of those in


16 School Transportation News Magazine May 2012


a bus, taxi and limo group reported a near miss. Fifteen percent of the total respondents said they were profes-


sional bus drivers, of which 55 percent were school bus drivers. “Te results of the NSF poll should serve as a literal ‘wake-up


call,’” said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. “Inadequate sleep puts lives at risk; we see this over and over in our accident investi- gations. Improving the quantity and quality of sleep can improve safety and ultimately save lives.”


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