Ohio lawmakers on Tuesday signed off on a wide-ranging school bus safety package that turns up the heat on drivers who roll past stopped buses, authorizes cameras on school buses, and adds new sanctions such as license suspensions and mandatory safety training for repeat offenders. House Bill 3 now heads to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature, with supporters saying the tougher rules are meant to deter dangerous passing and help pay for safety equipment in local districts.
As reported by FOX8, the measure cleared the legislature with broad bipartisan backing and was pitched by its sponsors as a direct follow-through on recommendations from DeWine’s School Bus Safety Working Group. Lawmakers say the package gives school districts and courts clearer tools to protect kids at the curb during pick-up and drop-off.
What the bill changes
According to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, first-offense fines for illegally passing a stopped school bus would jump to $250 to $1,000, and penalties for repeat violations could climb to $350 to $2,000. The fiscal analysis also notes that courts will be able to impose longer license suspensions and require drivers who reoffend within five years to complete a state-developed school bus safety course.
The bill explicitly allows images and video captured by cameras mounted on school buses to be used as corroborating evidence, and it funnels related revenue into a new School Bus Safety Fund that is set up to support grants and safety education efforts.
“I talk to school bus drivers and people and they say this happens every day, someone drives by illegally,” Sen. Theresa Gavarone told the Ohio Capital Journal. Supporters argue that a mix of more cameras and stiffer penalties will make violations easier to document and punish across districts, rather than relying solely on what a driver can jot down in the moment.
Numbers behind the push
Lawmakers have leaned on state enforcement data and a series of high-profile incidents to make their case. The Ohio Legislative Service Commission cites Ohio State Highway Patrol figures showing 933 criminal violations for failing to stop for a school bus in 2024 and 3,282 such violations from 2020 through 2024, and advocates point out that the true scope is larger once local citations are added to the mix.
The sense of urgency sharpened after an August 2023 Clark County crash that killed 11-year-old Aiden Clark and led state officials to convene the school bus safety working group that helped shape House Bill 3. WOSU documented both the crash and the intense community response that followed.
Local lift and next steps
The legislation formally creates the School Bus Safety Fund, which will be used for grants and public-awareness campaigns. Backers say that pot of money is intended to help districts pay for cameras and other safety upgrades without blowing holes in local budgets.
Earlier phases of the broader safety push have already sent state money to districts for bus-related improvements. The state’s school bus safety grant program delivered funding to local districts earlier this year, a precursor to the larger enforcement-focused effort wrapped into House Bill 3.
Legal implications
The bill widens enforcement options beyond traditional criminal charges by authorizing civil penalties in cases where prosecutors do not have enough evidence for a criminal case and by allowing camera images to back up written reports from bus operators, as reported by FOX8. Courts remain firmly in the middle of the process, since drivers cited for failing to stop for a school bus must appear in court under current law, and the new measure layers in a repeat-offender track for higher fines and tougher license penalties.
If Gov. DeWine signs the bill, districts and law enforcement agencies will have new tools this school year to capture and penalize drivers who pass stopped buses. For now, the bill’s passage signals a clear shift in Ohio’s approach to bus-zone safety: tougher consequences on the road, paired with state support to help schools afford the technology lawmakers want watching those flashing red lights.
