Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2137

Introduced
1/28/25  

Caption

Authorizing the department of education to contract with a private vendor to install, operate and maintain school bus cameras.

Impact

The bill mandates the establishment of a new protocol through which recorded violations can lead to civil penalties for offenders. A civil penalty of $250 will be assessed against the vehicle's registered owner if their vehicle is found to have unlawfully passed a stopped school bus. This system encourages adherence to traffic laws, and the collected fines will be allocated to a newly created School Bus Safety and Education Fund, highlighting the funding's dual purpose of improving safety and educating the public about the consequences of violating bus safety laws.

Summary

House Bill 2137 proposes to enhance school bus safety by authorizing the Kansas Department of Education to contract with a private vendor to install, operate, and maintain video recording devices on school buses. These devices aim to capture violations related to the illegal passing of school buses, particularly those outlined in K.S.A. 8-1556. The initiative reflects an increasing concern for the safety of children during school transportation, as incidents of reckless driving near buses can lead to serious injuries or fatalities.

Conclusion

If successfully implemented, HB 2137 will create a framework that not only penalizes illegal drivers but also pushes forward an agenda of accountability and public safety in school zones. The annual reporting requirements included in the bill will provide the legislature and the public with transparency regarding the effectiveness of the program and the overall compliance with the new regulations.

Contention

While supporters view the bill as a necessary measure to protect children, opponents raise concerns about privacy issues surrounding the video surveillance of traffic violations. Moreover, there is apprehension about the enforcement mechanisms, particularly the reliance on private vendors to manage the installation and operation of the cameras. Some critics argue that the approach could lead to a profit motive that overshadows its primary goal of safety, potentially resulting in excessive penalties that do not always correspond to actual risk or intent.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB6

Providing a sales tax exemption for sales of electricity to residential premises by municipally owned or operated utilities.

KS SB8

Exempting the sale of firearms, firearms accessories, ammunition, firearm safes and firearm safety devices from the retatilers' sales tax.

KS SB2

Eliminating the income limit to qualify for the subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, citing the increased property tax homestead refund claim section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, decreasing the normal privilege tax rate, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund, reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients and modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected.

KS SB7

Authorizing federally licensed firearm dealers, in addition to county sheriffs, to receive applications for concealed carry licenses and forward such applications to the attorney general, prohibiting sheriffs from assessing any fee related to application services and allowing dealers to assess a fee related to application services not to exceed $20.

KS SB5

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings tax.

KS HB2001

Authorizing the secretary of commerce to enter into agreements with major professional sports franchises to establish STAR bond projects for a major professional sports complex, providing for additional revenue sources, expanding the powers and discretion of the secretary and making other changes to the STAR bonds financing act to facilitate such projects, limiting the secretary’s authority to approve such projects to one year unless extended by the legislative coordinating council, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue STAR bonds for such projects, transferring funds under certain circumstances from the state gaming revenues fund to the attracting professional sports to Kansas fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and, if approved by the legislative coordinating council, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

KS SB1

Modifying income tax rates for individuals, exempting all social security benefits from Kansas income tax, increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value for property tax valuation purposes, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund and abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund.

KS HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

KS HB2002

Expanding medical assistance eligibility and enacting the cutting healthcare costs for all Kansans act.

KS HB2003

Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, modifying the definition of household income and increasing the appraised value threshold for eligibility of seniors and disabled veterans related to increased property tax claims and citing the section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, providing property tax exemptions for certain personal property including watercraft, marine equipment, off-road vehicles, motorized bicycles and certain trailers, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value, providing for certain exclusions from the prohibition of paying taxes under protest after a valuation notice appeal and providing four prior years' values on the annual valuation notice.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.