SF 448 (LSB 2554SV (1) 91)

SENATE FILE 448

BY  COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

(SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1161)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to department of education school bus driver authorization and approved courses of instruction.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 321.376, subsections 1 and 3, Code 2025, are amended to read as follows:
   1.  a.  The driver of a school bus shall hold a driver’s license issued by the department of transportation valid for the operation of the school bus and a certificate of qualification for operation of a commercial motor vehicle issued by a physician or osteopathic physician licensed pursuant to chapter 148, physician assistant, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or chiropractor or any other person identified by federal and state law as authorized to perform physical examinations, and.
   b.  If required by the school district employing the driver, the driver shall successfully complete an approved course of instruction in accordance with subsection 3.
   c.  A person holding a temporary restricted license issued under chapter 321J shall be prohibited from operating a school bus.
   3.  a.  A person applying for employment or employed as a school bus driver shall not be required to successfully complete a department of education approved course of instruction for school bus drivers unless the school district hiring or employing the person requires successful completion of such course.
   b.  If a school district requires successful completion of an approved course, the person hired as a school bus driver shall complete the course before or within the first six months of employment and at least every twenty-four months thereafter. If an employee is required to complete a course and fails to provide an employer with a certificate of completion of the required school bus driver’s course, the driver’s employer shall report the failure to the department of education and the employee’s authorization to operate a school bus shall be revoked. The department of education shall send notice of the revocation to both the employee and the employer. A person whose school bus authorization has been revoked under this section subsection shall not be issued another authorization until certification of the completion of an approved school bus driver’s course is received by the department of education, or until the person is employed by a school district that does not require successful completion of an approved course and the person is otherwise in compliance with this section.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   Under current law, a person applying for employment or employed as a school bus driver is required to successfully complete a course of instruction for school bus drivers approved by the department of education (DE) before or within the first 6 months of employment and at least every 24 months thereafter. If a school bus driver fails to provide an employer with a certificate of completion of the course, the driver’s employer must report the failure to DE and the employee’s authorization to operate a school bus must be revoked. A person whose school bus authorization has been revoked is prohibited from being issued another authorization until certification of the completion of a course is received by DE.
   This bill exempts school bus drivers from being required to complete a course unless the school district employing the driver requires it. A school bus driver whose authorization is revoked may receive authorization without completion of a course if the driver is subsequently employed by a school district that does not require successful completion of a course, so long as the driver is otherwise eligible for authorization.
   If a school bus driver’s school district requires successful completion of a course, the driver must comply with the course requirements under current law.