Representative McElroy told the House Committee on Public Transportation that House Bill 1536 would add enforcement to a 2017 local-control law allowing registered voters to petition school boards to require seat belts on new buses or to approve a millage to pay for the additional cost. "All we're doing is putting some teeth in an existing law that's been in since 02/2017," McElroy said.

McElroy said the 2017 law gives petitioners a choice: if 10% of registered voters in a school district sign a petition, the district must either place the millage question on the next regular school-board ballot showing the cost to taxpayers or forego the election and equip future bus purchases with seat belts. He told the committee the bill corrects a gap he found when a district he petitioned later bought a new bus without belts. "Then your transportation money will be a help until you do 1 or the other," McElroy said, describing the enforcement mechanism when districts do not follow the statute.

Why it matters: McElroy said the issue has stirred strong public response because it involves student safety and local control. He said the up-front incremental cost per bus was roughly $12,000 in 2017 and has risen to about $20,000; retrofitting older buses can cost about $30,000 and is often not cost-effective. He also noted that a diesel bus's useful life is commonly 12 to 20 years, which affects how quickly fleets turn over.

Committee discussion focused on implementation and local authority. Representative Torres asked whether the law applies to retrofits or only to new buses; McElroy and others confirmed the 2017 framework applies to new buses going forward and that retrofitting older buses can be cost-prohibitive. President Steinman and other members asked how use would be policed; McElroy said implementation decisions (including how to enforce belt use) would be left to local districts. Multiple members and McElroy emphasized the bill preserves local control by giving voters the choice.

Action: Representative McElroy moved that the bill do pass. The committee carried the motion by voice vote; no roll-call vote was recorded in the committee transcript.

Background and context: McElroy said he personally carried the petition in his district, that more than 300 people signed the petition there, and that other states have since sought to use the local-control approach established by the 2017 law. He cited changes in national safety guidance, saying the National Transportation Safety Board and other agencies have revised views about restraint benefits in bus rollover incidents.

Next steps: The committee reported the bill favorably to the House floor.