SF 2687

Introduction - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Posted on 03/18/2025 10:23 a.m.

A bill for an act
relating to transportation; establishing a safe school bus site development work
group; requiring reports; appropriating money.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin SAFE SCHOOL BUS SITE DEVELOPMENT WORK GROUP.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment; purpose. new text end

new text begin By August 1, 2025, the commissioner of
transportation must convene a safe school bus site work group to evaluate and identify
strategies for the safe placement of school bus stop locations and make recommendations
for any legislative changes necessary to implement the school bus stop standards.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Membership. new text end

new text begin (a) At a minimum, the work group must consist of the following
members:
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new text begin (1) two members of the house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the
house and one appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives;
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new text begin (2) two members of the senate, one appointed by the senate majority leader and one
appointed by the senate minority leader;
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new text begin (3) the commissioner of transportation, or a designee;
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new text begin (4) the chief of the State Patrol, or a designee;
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new text begin (5) the commissioner of education, or a designee;
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new text begin (6) two members from each of the following school transportation groups, one of whom
must be from the seven-county metropolitan area and one of whom must be from greater
Minnesota:
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new text begin (i) the Minnesota Association for Pupil Transportation;
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new text begin (ii) the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association; and
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new text begin (iii) the Minnesota Charter Bus Operators Association;
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new text begin (7) one representative from each of the following agencies:
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new text begin (i) the Office of Pupil Transportation Safety in the Department of Public Safety;
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new text begin (ii) the Office of Special Transportation Services and Office of Freight and Commercial
Vehicle Operations in the Department of Transportation;
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new text begin (iii) the active transportation program in the Department of Transportation; and
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new text begin (iv) the safe routes to school program in the Department of Transportation;
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new text begin (8) two representatives from the statewide Toward Zero Deaths program;
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new text begin (9) two representatives from the Minnesota Council on Disability, one of whom must
have familiarity with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act;
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new text begin (10) a representative from a recognized child pedestrian safety organization;
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new text begin (11) two representatives from the Minnesota School Boards Association, one of whom
must be from the seven-county metropolitan area and one of whom must be from greater
Minnesota;
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new text begin (12) two superintendents of school districts in Minnesota, one of whom must be from
the seven-county metropolitan area and one of whom must be from greater Minnesota;
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new text begin (13) a representative from the Association of Metropolitan School Districts;
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new text begin (14) one county engineer from the Minnesota County Engineers Association with
experience in school bus stop design and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities
Act;
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new text begin (15) one city engineer from the City Engineers Association of Minnesota with experience
in school bus stop design and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act;
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new text begin (16) one representative from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, who
serves as an ex-officio nonvoting member; and
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new text begin (17) one representative from the National Center for Safe Routes to School or the Safe
Routes National Partnership, who serves as an ex-officio nonvoting member.
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new text begin (b) Appointments and designations to the work group authorized by this section must
be completed by July 15, 2025.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Duties. new text end

new text begin (a) The work group must analyze, study, develop, and evaluate standards
for the safe siting of school bus stops in Minnesota. The analysis must:
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new text begin (1) examine current state and local policies, regulations, and guidance related to school
bus stop placement and safety and include a survey of other state policies or regulations
related to school bus stop placement;
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new text begin (2) analyze data on school transportation-related incidents, with a focus on incidents
occurring at or near bus stops, and survey and collect data from school bus drivers on
incidents where a student was endangered or put at risk at a school bus stop;
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new text begin (3) analyze design factors and considerations used for the current placement of school
bus stop sites for all road contexts where a school bus may stop;
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new text begin (4) include best practices for the siting and selection of school bus stops, including
consideration of factors such as:
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new text begin (i) risk assessment and safety criteria, including but not limited to:
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new text begin (A) a standardized risk assessment tool for evaluating potential and existing bus stops;
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new text begin (B) identification and potential mitigations of high-risk environments, such as high-speed
roads, blind curves, and industrial zones; and
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new text begin (C) recommended minimum distances between bus stops, crosswalks, intersections, and
driveways;
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new text begin (ii) traffic flow and roadway conditions, including but not limited to:
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new text begin (A) road contexts and types and their impact on bus stop safety;
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new text begin (B) evaluation of historical crash data near potential or proposed bus stop locations; and
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new text begin (C) road maintenance and improvement needs near bus stops;
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new text begin (iii) pedestrian and student accessibility, including but not limited to:
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new text begin (A) the availability of sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and adequate lighting near bus
stops;
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new text begin (B) the selection of bus stops in rural or suburban areas where sidewalks are unavailable;
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new text begin (C) the recommended maximum walking distance for students based on age or geography;
and
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new text begin (D) addressing special considerations for students with disabilities;
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new text begin (iv) visibility and environmental conditions to allow approaching traffic adequate time
to react to students or a stopped school bus, including but not limited to:
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new text begin (A) an assessment of whether students are visible to drivers, including standards on sight
distance to ensure a clear, straight-line distance within recommended federal guidelines;
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new text begin (B) an evaluation of how weather conditions affect the safety of a bus stop; and
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new text begin (C) recommendations on the use of reflective materials, signage, lighting, or other
visibility or awareness methods;
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new text begin (v) community engagement and parental input, including but not limited to:
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new text begin (A) development of a framework for engaging parents, schools, and local governments
in the bus stop selection process; and
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new text begin (B) establishment of a feedback and reporting system for unsafe school bus stops to be
easily reported and provide for community input; and
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new text begin (vii) training and public awareness, including but not limited to:
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new text begin (A) training for school district officials on how to assess and improve school bus stop
safety;
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new text begin (B) working with law enforcement and community organizations to promote safe driving
behavior near bus stops;
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new text begin (C) establishing public awareness initiatives about school bus stop arm laws and penalties
for violating those laws; and
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new text begin (D) identifying resources needed to provide training sessions and assist school districts
in adopting and enforcing the work group's recommendations; and
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new text begin (5) include feedback from local communities, including parents, students, and school
personnel, on the proposed best practices formulated by the work group.
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new text begin (b) The standards developed by the work group must be made in conjunction with local
school districts, transportation authorities, and law enforcement agencies to gather input
and ensure the feasibility of proposed best practices.
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new text begin (c) The commissioner of transportation, in consultation with the commissioner of public
safety and the State Patrol, must maintain publicly available information about the work
group and provide an opportunity for public comment and feedback on the development of
the report required under subdivision 5.
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new text begin (d) Upon submission of the report required under subdivision 5, the commissioners of
transportation, public safety, and education must develop guidelines for local school districts
to implement the recommendations and best practices identified by the report.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Administration; grants. new text end

new text begin (a) The work group must meet a minimum of 12
times.
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new text begin (b) Member compensation and reimbursement for expenses are governed by Minnesota
Statutes, section 15.059, subdivision 3. The commissioner of transportation must provide
administrative support, meeting space, and staff support to the work group.
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new text begin (c) The members of the work group must select a chair from its membership who must
not be a commissioner or a commissioner's designee.
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new text begin (d) The work group may accept grant funds from any federal, state, local, or
nongovernmental source to support its work and offset any costs if accepting the money
does not create a conflict of interest for the work group or its members. The Legislative
Coordinating Commission may administer any grant money given to the work group.
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new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Legislative report. new text end

new text begin The work group must report its findings to the chairs and
ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over transportation
and education policy. The final report is due May 1, 2027, with an interim report due on
March 1, 2027.
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new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Expiration. new text end

new text begin The work group expires on June 30, 2027.
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Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
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new text begin $....... in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of
transportation for the safe school bus site development work group in section 1. This is a
onetime appropriation and is available until June 30, 2027.
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