HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2066

BYRepresentatives Cantwell, Peery, Holland, Beck, Walk, Jones, Spanel, Ferguson, Cole, P. King, Winsley, Wood and Todd

Creating an interim task force to evaluate school student transportation safety.

House Committe on Education

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (14)

      Signed by Representatives Peery, Chair; G. Fisher, Vice Chair; Cole, Dorn, Holland, Jones, Phillips, Pruitt, Rasmussen, Rayburn, Schoon, Valle, Walker and K. Wilson.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  (3)

      Signed by Representatives Betrozoff, Ranking Republican Member; Brumsickle and Fuhrman.

House Staff:Susan Patrick (786-7111)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION FEBRUARY 23, 1989

BACKGROUND:

The transportation of children is a major task of school districts and a financial obligation for the state.  A changing modern transportation system requires that transportation standards for safety and funding formulas be reviewed periodically.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  An interim task force on transportation safety is created to evaluate the safety of school student transportation systems.  The task force shall study:  a) Pupil transportation including pedestrian needs, hazardous walking conditions, school crossing guards and other items; b) The need and funding for edge striping and curbing for roadways; c) Safety standards for bus fleets and other vehicles used to transport students to and from school; d) The need to examine funding formulas for pupil transportation including: Transporting students within a one mile radius of schools; and e) Need for requiring infrastructure improvement in conjunction with housing development.

The task force shall be composed of two members from the House of Representatives, one from each caucus appointed by the Speaker; two members from the Senate, one from each caucus appointed by the President of the Senate; the Superintendent of Public Instruction or her designee; the director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission or his designee and a representative of the housing industry, a county traffic safety engineer, a school board member, two local elected officials, a local law enforcement representative and a member of the Washington State Parent Teacher Association.

The chair of the task force shall be one of the legislative members as determined by a vote.  The chair shall select members of the task force not selected by another person or organization.

The task force shall be staffed jointly by the Legislative Transportation Committee and the Senate and House Education Committees.  The report from the task force is due March 31, 1990 and the task force shall expire at that time.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The substitute bill clarified the topics to be studied by including an assessment of the need for edging and curbing on roads and limiting the review of the transportation funding formula to the transport of students within a one-mile radius of the school and hazardous walking conditions.

The bill clarified that legislative members shall represent both caucuses in the House of Representatives and Senate.  A provision is added calling for the election of one of the legislative members as chair of the task force.

The following officials or associations are removed from the task force:  Chief of the State Patrol, Association of County Officials, Association of Washington Cities, a school district superintendent, representatives of commercial development and the medical community.

Fiscal Note:      Requested February 21, 1989.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Representative Maria Cantwell; Don Carnahan, Superintendent of Public Instruction; Dianne Campbell, School Board Member, Northshore School District; and Christine Reardon, parent.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    As we have developed the unincorporated portions of counties the traffic patterns have changed.  Often roads that received little traffic only a few years ago have become major arterials with no stop lights or stop signs.  These roads have proved hazardous to students walking to schools.  Often adjacent cities and counties argue over who is responsible for the road when it runs through several jurisdictions.  It is not acceptable to have to wait until a child is injured to force action.  The purpose of this study is to encourage cooperation of the many jurisdictions involved and also to review hazards as they apply to students residing within one mile of school.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.