Bill > S503

This bill allows municipalities and school districts to enter into contracts with private companies to install and operate video monitoring systems on school buses to help enforce laws against drivers who unlawfully pass a stopped school bus. These systems, referred to as "school bus monitoring systems," are designed to capture high-resolution images and video of vehicles violating the law, including clear views of license plates, the bus's flashing red lights, and the date and time of the incident. The recorded evidence is then reviewed by law enforcement, who can issue a "summons," which is a citation for the violation, within 90 days of the incident. The bill also clarifies that recorded images from these systems are not public records and must be purged within 60 days of fine collection or 90 days if no summons is issued. It establishes that the owner and operator of the vehicle are jointly liable for violations captured by these systems, with provisions for lessors to avoid liability if they provide the lessee's information. Furthermore, the bill amends existing law to increase the fines for passing a school bus and mandates that collected fines and surcharges from these violations be used for municipal and school district purposes, including improving monitoring and enforcement efforts and public safety programs.