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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 5, 2016 03:17 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative William C. Kortz, II |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Prohibiting Distracted Driving for School Bus Drivers (former HB 1814) |
| In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation that will amend the Public School Code by prohibiting school bus drivers from using cellular or wireless phones, as well as the consumption of any food or beverages, while operating a school bus or school vehicle that is transporting children. Specifically, this legislation would prohibit the use of a cellular phone, or similar device, while operating a school bus/vehicle that is transporting children, but would still allow the use of a two-way radio for communication purposes. Additionally, a driver would be permitted to use a cellular phone in an emergency situation. The bill also contains a provision, recommended by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, which provides an exemption for school bus drivers that have medical conditions which may require them to consume food or beverages. However, this exemption still requires a driver to park in a safe area off of a roadway to consume food or beverages. Under this proposal, a violation of this law would be a primary offense and carry a fine of $50 to $100, or a fine of $300 if a violation results in a traffic accident. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. Previous cosponsors: Ravenstahl, Thomas, V. Brown, Helm, McNeill, D. Costa, DeLuca, O’Brien, Murt and Milne. |
Introduced as HB1046