AUGUSTA – On Wednesday, Rep. Valli Geiger, D-Rockland, introduced legislation to protect kids riding on school buses before the Legislature’s Transportation Committee.
LD 2159 would require that all school buses in Maine be equipped with a school bus crossing arm and require that bus drivers use them when children get on and off the bus. A crossing arm is a long bar attached to the front right side of a school bus. When engaged, it extends from the bus for several feet, forcing a student to walk several feet in front of the bus, ensuring that the driver can see the student.
The bill comes as a response to the tragic deaths of a 12-year-old student in Rockland and a five-year-old student in Standish, both of whom were killed by being run over by school buses.
“What happened in Rockland and Standish were entirely preventable, horrific accidents,” said Geiger. “By installing and requiring the use of school bus crossing arms, we can minimize the risk of such a tragic event from ever happening again in Maine.”
In the public hearing, Rep. Ann Matlack, D-St. George, introduced an amendment to the bill that would also require the installation of anti-pinch sensors on buses that are model year 2025 or older. A law passed in 2023 requires the devices on 2025 and newer buses already.
“This bill is necessary to protect Maine children who take the bus to school each day,” said Matlack. “The recent tragedies were devastating. This legislation aims to prevent such tragedies from happening again.”
The Legislature’s Taxation Committee will hold a work session for the bill in coming weeks.
Rep. Geiger is serving her third term in the Maine House of Representatives and is a member of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee and the Labor Committee. Rep. Matlack is serving her fourth term in the Maine House of Representatives and is on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee and the Taxation Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee (Geiger, Matlack) | 305-965-2744