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State Representative John Ward
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4333
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
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WARD LEGISLATION PASSED BY HOUSE, ELIMINATES UNFUNDED MANDATE FOR SCHOOLS
St. Paul, MN – Legislation authored by State Rep. John Ward (DFL – Brainerd) designed to lower costs for school districts was passed unanimously by the House of Representatives today.
The legislation would correct language in a Type III transportation bill that was passed last year which inadvertently added significant costs to local school districts.
“The original bill was meant to increase the safety of children riding in school vans by adding restrictions to who could drive those vans," said Ward. “Because of the way the Department of Public Safety interpreted the law, however, it became an unfunded mandate for school districts. The bill we passed today eliminates this mandate but still makes the safety of our kids the number one priority.”
Type III school buses are generally vans and are typically driven by a coach or teacher to extracurricular activities. Under the 2007 law, these individuals would be required to have the same physical exams and alcohol and drug tests that are required for full-time bus drivers, adding significant costs for school districts.
The legislation passed today corrects this problem by exempting “incidental” drivers, such as coaches and teachers, from the costly physical exam and the drug and alcohol tests. School employees whose sole duty is to transport students by bus or van must still meet all the requirements.
Compelling testimony was offered in committee regarding deaf teachers at the state academy being disqualified from driving Type III buses. In some cases, this new law meant deaf students were unable to get to extracurricular activities.
“During these tough budget times, we need to reduce unnecessary mandates for schools, not add more,” said Ward. “Education Minnesota and the School Boards Association agreed this was the right thing to do.”
The Senate passed an identical bill, which will now be sent to the Governor for his signature. For more information, please contact Rep. John Ward at 651-296-4333 or by email at rep.john.ward@house.mn.
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