SCHOOL BUSES: OSCILLATING ROOF LIGHT

House Bill 5581

Sponsor:  Rep. Rick Jones

Committee:  Transportation

Complete to 6-12-06

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5581 AS INTRODUCED 1-24-06

Section 31 of the Pupil Transportation Act allows a school bus to be equipped with a flashing, oscillating, or rotating light mounted on the roof of the bus and displaying a white light to the front, side, and rear of the bus to be activated by the driver only in certain specified situations.  Those situations would restricted to inclement weather, such as fog, rain, or snow; when boarding or discharging passengers from one-half hour before sunset to one-half hour after sunrise; and where conditions hinder the visibility of the school bus. 

House Bill 5581 would remove those cited situations from the act and instead make the section say that the driver could actuate this light for use only when boarding or discharging pupils along a scheduled bus route.

[Note:  Public Act 107 of 2006, House Bill 5494, amended this section earlier in the legislative session as part of a general update of the Pupil Transportation Act, and is due to go into effect August 15, 2006.  It was signed into law after the introduction of House Bill 5581, so as introduced that bill does not reflect the amendment.  The only substantive change to this section made by Public Act 107 appears to be the addition of a statement that "If a school bus is equipped with a light, there is no requirement that a driver use it."]

MCL 257.1831

FISCAL IMPACT:

The bill would have no fiscal impact on the state or local units of government.

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   Chris Couch

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Jan Wisniewski

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.