This Amendment to Senate Bill No.

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Amendment Expanding School Bus Interference Protections

This amendment changes Senate Bill No. 48 to clarify that threats against any authorized person on or near a school bus count as interference and limits disorderly conduct charges for authorized passengers.

What This Bill Does

• Removes specific lists of passenger types so the law covers any person riding in the bus, not just named examples like students or aides.
• Expands protection to include threats made while a driver or passenger is already on the school bus, not only when they are entering, leaving, or waiting for it.
• States that passengers authorized to be on the bus cannot be guilty of disorderly conduct if they interfere with its operation.

Who It Names or Affects

• School bus drivers
• Students riding school buses
• Other authorized passengers such as attendants, aides, staff, or contractors

Terms To Know

Intentional interference

Actions that stop a school bus from working properly, including making threats against the driver or any passenger.

Disorderly conduct

A legal charge for behavior that disturbs public order; this amendment limits when authorized passengers can face this charge on buses.

Limits and Unknowns

• The text does not state the specific penalties or punishments for violating these rules.
• The effective date of this law is not listed in the provided source material.

Official Summary Text

This Amendment to Senate Bill No. 48, as amended by Senate Amendment No. 1, makes the following changes:

(1) Clarifies that intentional interference with the operation of a school bus can occur if threats are against the bus driver or any passenger on the bus, regardless of the passenger's status, such as a student, bus attendant, disability aide, school staff, or a contractor. This clarification is made by removing specific examples of passengers that might be covered because a detailed list of possible passengers has the unintended effect of narrowing the application of the provision.

(2) Clarifies that the intentional interference with the operation of a school bus can also occur if the threats are made while the school bus passenger is on the bus, not only when entering, leaving, or waiting for the school bus.

(3) Clarifies that only those passengers, including students, who are authorized to be on the school bus in the ordinary course of business may not be guilty of disorderly conduct for intentionally interfering with the operation of a school bus.

Current Bill Text

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. K. Williams

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 2

TO

SENATE BILL NO. 48

AMEND Senate Bill No. 48, as amended, by deleting lines 2 through 3 of Senate Amendment No. 1 in their entirety.

FURTHER AMEND Senate Bill No. 48, as amended, on lines 14 through 15 by deleting “

driver, a student, or any passenger entering, leaving, or waiting for the school bus.

” as it appears therein and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

“

driver or a school bus passenger, including when the school bus driver or the school bus passenger is entering, leaving, or waiting for the school bus.

”.

FURTHER AMEND Senate Bill No. 48, as amended, by deleting lines 17 through 18 in their entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

“

(c) A passenger, including a student, authorized to be on the school bus in the ordinary course of business may not be guilty of disorderly conduct for a violation of paragraph (a)(3) of this section.

”.

SYNOPSIS

This Amendment to Senate Bill No. 48, as amended by Senate Amendment No. 1, makes the following changes:

(1) Clarifies that intentional interference with the operation of a school bus can occur if threats are against the bus driver or any passenger on the bus, regardless of the passenger's status, such as a student, bus attendant, disability aide, school staff, or a contractor. This clarification is made by removing specific examples of passengers that might be covered because a detailed list of possible passengers has the unintended effect of narrowing the application of the provision.

(2) Clarifies that the intentional interference with the operation of a school bus can also occur if the threats are made while the school bus passenger is on the bus, not only when entering, leaving, or waiting for the school bus.

(3) Clarifies that only those passengers, including students, who are authorized to be on the school bus in the ordinary course of business may not be guilty of disorderly conduct for intentionally interfering with the operation of a school bus.