SF737

Purpose

The bill aims to strengthen penalties for violations of the school bus stop arm law. It focuses on drivers who do not stop or remain stopped when a school bus stop arm is extended, and it adds stricter fines and new circumstances that can elevate penalties.

Main provisions

• Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 169.444, subdivision 2 (violations by drivers penalties).
• General penalty for failing to stop or to keep a stopped vehicle, or for violating the stop-arm rules (subdivision 1 or 1a):
  • Guilty of a misdemeanor with a fine of at least $500.
  • If the violation occurs within ten years of a prior violation, the fine increases to at least $700.
  • If the violation occurs within ten years of two or more prior violations, the fine increases to at least $950.
• Elevated penalty (gross misdemeanor) when the driver also commits one or both of the following:
  • Passes or attempts to pass the school bus on the right-hand side near the passenger door.
  • Passes or attempts to pass the school bus when a school child is outside the bus and on the street or highway used by the bus or on the adjacent sidewalk.

Significant changes from existing law

• Establishes mandatory minimum fines with tiered increases based on the number of prior violations within a ten-year period.
• Introduces gross misdemeanor penalties for specific high-risk actions, namely passing the bus on the right-hand side or passing when a child is outside the bus.
• Makes penalties explicitly tied to stopping requirements and stop-arm violations described in subdivision 1 and the related rules in subdivision 1a.

How the changes work in practice

• A driver who fails to stop at a bus stop arm or violates the stop-arm rules faces escalating fines over time if they accumulate previous violations within ten years.
• If the driver also engages in one of the two hazardous passing behaviors described, the offense can rise to a gross misdemeanor, which carries more severe consequences.

Terminology embedded in the law

• school bus stop arm law
• violations
• misdemeanor
• gross misdemeanor
• fine (amounts: $500, $700, $950)
• prior violation
• within ten years
• subdivision 1 (stop requirement)
• subdivision 1a (stop-arm rule)
• passes or attempts to pass the school bus
• right-hand passenger door side
• school child outside the bus
• street or highway used by the school bus
• adjacent sidewalk

Relevant Terms - school bus stop arm law - violations - misdemeanor - gross misdemeanor - fine - prior violation - within ten years - subdivision 1 - subdivision 1a - passes or attempts to pass the school bus - right-hand passenger door side - school child outside the bus - street or highway used by the school bus - adjacent sidewalk - Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 169.444 subdivision 2