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UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 341
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AN ACT relating to school bus stops and declaring an emergency. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 189 IS CREATED TO 3
READ AS FOLLOWS: 4
As used in Sections 1 to 3 of this Act: 5
(1) "Bus stop camera system" means a system of one (1) or more fixed video cameras 6
placed at a school bus stop that is capable of recording and storing video images; 7
(2) "Fund" means the school bus stop safety camera fund established in Section 2 of 8
this Act; 9
(3) "Local government" means a city, county, charter county government, urban -10
county government, consolidated local government, or unified local government; 11
and 12
(4) "School bus stop": 13
(a) Means a common location near the side of a highway or street where 14
children board and disembark a school bus for a school that is part of a 15
public school district; and 16
(b) Does not include the area in front of a residence where children from that 17
residence board and disembark a school bus. 18
SECTION 2. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 189 IS CREATED TO 19
READ AS FOLLOWS: 20
(1) There is hereby established in the State Treasury a trust and agency account to be 21
known as the school bus stop safety camera fund. The fund shall consist of state 22
appropriations, gifts, grants, and federal funds. 23
(2) The fund shall be administered by the Department for Local Government. 24
(3) Amounts deposited in the fund shall be used to provide grants to local 25
governments to install, maintain, and monitor bus stop camera systems positioned 26
at school bus stops and for no other purpose. 27
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(4) Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, fund amounts not expended at the close of a fiscal 1
year shall not lapse but shall be carried forward into the next fiscal year. 2
(5) The Department for Local Government shall promulgate administrative 3
regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to establish application 4
procedures and award criteria for local governments that apply for grants. 5
SECTION 3. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 189 IS CREATED TO 6
READ AS FOLLOWS: 7
(1) A local government: 8
(a) May install a bus stop camera system on public property at any school bus 9
stop within its jurisdiction; 10
(b) May, with the permission of the property owner, install a bus stop camera 11
system on private property at any school bus stop within its jurisdiction; 12
(c) May use grant moneys from the fund to cover the costs of installation, 13
maintenance, and monitoring of bus stop camera systems; and 14
(d) Shall consult with the public school districts in its jurisdiction to determine 15
appropriate locations for placement of bus stop camera systems. 16
(2) On or before August 1, 2026, and on or before August 1 each year thereafter, 17
each public school district shall inform the local governments in whose 18
jurisdictions their schools are located of the location of each school bus stop in 19
the district. 20
(3) (a) Subject to paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection, video images from a 21
bus stop camera system shall be retained by the local government that 22
installed the cameras. 23
(b) The parents or guardians of all students assigned to a bus stop where a bus 24
stop camera system is in place shall be given notice and shall have the right 25
to object to video images of their children being retained under this section. 26
(c) If a parent or guardian objects to their children being recorded by a bus 27
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stop camera system, the faces and personal identifying characteristics of all 1
children assigned to that bus stop shall be redacted or obscured before the 2
video images are used or shared under this section. 3
(4) Video images retained under this section may be obtained only: 4
(a) By a qualifying school district investigating a student discipline matter; 5
(b) By a law enforcement agency; or 6
(c) In response to a subpoena duces tecum. 7
(5) The local gove rnment that installed the bus stop camera system shall retain the 8
video images recorded by the system for a period of sixty (60) days and delete the 9
data after that period, except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, or when 10
the data: 11
(a) Is being used as evidence in a felony prosecution; 12
(b) Is being used by a qualifying school district in a student disciplinary matter; 13
(c) Has become subject to a subpoena duces tecum; 14
(d) Is the subject of an evidence protection letter submitted by an attorney 15
licensed in the Commonwealth. 16
(6) In addition to the retention requirements in subsection (5) of this section, if data 17
recorded by the system indicates there is a known injury or coll ision, the local 18
government that installed the bus stop camera system shall retain the video 19
images recorded by the system for a period of two (2) years and delete the data 20
after that period, except when the data: 21
(a) Is being used as evidence in a felony prosecution; 22
(b) Is being used by a qualifying school district in a student disciplinary matter; 23
(c) Has become subject to a subpoena duces tecum; or 24
(d) Is the subject of an evidence protection letter submitted by an attorney 25
licensed in the Commonwealth. 26
(7) Video images recorded by a bus stop camera system that were retained in 27
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accordance with subsections (3) to (6) of this section shall be deleted within seven 1
(7) days of the conclusion of any proceeding for which the images were retained. 2
Section 4. Whereas the safety of the Commonwealth's school children is of vital 3
importance, and it is imperative that the program to be developed under this Act start at 4
the beginning of the 2026 -2027 school year, an emergency is de clared to exist, and this 5
Act takes effect upon its passage and approval by the Governor or upon its otherwise 6
becoming a law. 7