Iowa 2019-2020 Regular Session Status: Enacted

HF 499 — A bill for an act allowing certain vans and pickups to be used to transport pupils to activity events or from school to home in emergency situations. (Formerly HF 136.) Effective 7-1-19.

Last action — Signed by Governor.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed House
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 21, 2019. Enacted.

Prognosis

Not enough signal yet

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

Not enough signal yet to read this bill's trajectory — we surface a likelihood only once there's real movement (stage, sponsorship, committee, or votes) to point to.

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Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

60 added · 72 removed

60 line(s) added, 72 removed.

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House File 499 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 499 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HF 136) A BILL FOR An Act relating to passenger automobiles designed to carry ten or fewer persons when used as school buses.
House File 499 - Enrolled House File 499 AN ACT ALLOWING CERTAIN VANS AND PICKUPS TO BE USED TO TRANSPORT PUPILS TO ACTIVITY EVENTS OR FROM SCHOOL TO HOME IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
TLSB 1775HV (2) 88 ns/rh H.F.
Section 1.
499 Section 1.
Designed to carry not more than nine ten persons as passengers, including the driver, either school owned or privately owned, which are used to transport pupils to activity events in which the pupils are participants or used to transport pupils to their homes in case of illness or other emergency situations.
Designed New or used motor vehicles designed to carry not more than nine ten persons as passengers, including the driver, or used passenger vans designed to carry not more than twelve persons as passengers, including the driver , either school owned or privately owned, which are used to transport pupils to activity events in which the pupils are participants or used to transport pupils to their homes in case of illness or other emergency situations.
a.
EXPLANATION The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
b.
CURRENT IOWA LAW.
The rules shall allow pickups designed to carry nine passengers or less, including the driver, and weighing ten House File 499, p.
Under current law, motor vehicles designed to carry not more than nine persons as passengers, either school owned or privately owned, are excluded from the definition of “school bus” under Code section 321.1, thereby excluding such vehicles from the duties and requirements relating to school buses set forth in Code chapter 321 (motor vehicles and law of the road).
2 thousand pounds or less, to be used as school buses if the pickup does not carry more passengers than there are safety belts or safety harnesses in the pickup as installed by the manufacturer and if the pickup is not operated while any passenger is present in the bed of the pickup.
To qualify under the exclusion, a vehicle must be used to transport pupils to activity events in which the pupils are participants or used to transport pupils to their homes in case of illness or other emergency situations, and must be operated by an employee of the school district who is specifically approved by the local superintendent of schools for the assignment.
The operator of the pickup shall comply with the qualification, licensing, and instruction requirements set forth in sections 321.375 and 321.376, other than the requirement to obtain a commercial driver’s license.
Administrative rules of the department of education regulate type III vehicles used as school buses.
However, the rules shall allow the board of directors of a school district to prohibit the use of pickups as school buses by the school district.
Under 281 IAC 44.2(5), LSB 1775HV (2) 88 -1- ns/rh 1/2 H.F.
c.
499 type III vehicles are not regular school buses but are used to transport students in a school-related context and may be marked as a school bus.
The rules shall allow used passenger vans designed to carry twelve or fewer passengers, including the driver, and weighing ten thousand pounds or less, to be used as school buses if the van does not carry more passengers than there are safety belts or safety harnesses in the van as installed by the manufacturer.
A type III vehicle is a van or passenger car, including a minivan, sport utility vehicle, or station wagon.
The operator of the van shall comply with the qualification, licensing, and instruction requirements set forth in sections 321.375 and 321.376.
The difference between a family automobile and an equivalent type III vehicle is not the vehicle itself, but rather its use, as type III vehicles are used by schools for purposes of student transportation.
d.
To qualify as a type III vehicle, the vehicle must carry a maximum of nine or fewer people, including the driver, and weigh 10,000 pounds or less.
A pickup or passenger van operated pursuant to rules described in paragraph “b” or “c” is subject to the limitations set forth in section 321.1, subsection 69, paragraph “d”.
CURRENT FEDERAL LAW.
______________________________ ______________________________ LINDA UPMEYER CHARLES SCHNEIDER Speaker of the House President of the Senate I hereby certify that this bill originated in the House and is known as House File 499, Eighty-eighth General Assembly.
School buses are subject to a variety of federal motor vehicle safety standards.
______________________________ CARMINE BOAL Chief Clerk of the House Approved _______________, 2019 ______________________________ KIM REYNOLDS Governor
Under federal law, a school bus is a passenger motor vehicle designed to carry a driver and more than 10 passengers that is used significantly to transport students to or from school or an event related to school.
TRANSPORTATION OF 10 OR FEWER PERSONS.
This bill excludes from the definition of “school bus” under Code section 321.1 motor vehicles designed to carry not more than 10 persons as passengers, including the driver.
The bill requires the administrative rules to allow passenger automobiles designed to carry 10 or fewer persons, including the driver, to be used as school buses.
LSB 1775HV (2) 88 -2- ns/rh 2/2
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Amendments

4 amendments

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Action History

  1. Signed by Governor.

  2. Reported correctly enrolled, signed by Speaker and President, and sent to Governor.

  3. Message from Senate.

  4. Immediate message.

  5. Passed Senate, yeas 50, nays 0.

  6. Senate concurred with S-3235.

  7. Message from House, with amendment S-3235 to H-1257.

  8. Immediate message.

  9. Passed House, yeas 99 nays none.

  10. House concurred in Senate amendment H-1257, as amended.

  11. Amendment H-1307 to Senate amendment H-1257 adopted.

  12. Amendment H-1307 filed.

  13. Senate amendment H-1257 filed.

  14. Message from Senate.

  15. Immediate message.

  16. Passed Senate, yeas 49, nays 0.

  17. Amendment S-3193 filed, adopted.

  18. Substituted for SF 186.

  19. Placed on calendar under unfinished business.

  20. Attached to similar SF 186.

  21. Subcommittee: Breitbach, Kinney, and Koelker.

  22. Read first time, referred to Transportation.

  23. Message from House.

  24. Immediate message.

  25. Passed House, yeas 95, nays none.

  26. Introduced, placed on calendar.

Sponsorship breakdown

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0 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 150 not signed on

Sponsors (0)

None.

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (150)

150 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety transportation education
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Frequently asked questions

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This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 21, 2019. Enacted.
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