HB 1094 South Dakota House · 2025 Regular Session

modify laws regarding school bus safety and to provide a penalty therefor.

HB 1094 aims to update South Dakota laws related to school bus safety and establishes penalties for violations. The bill directly affects school bus operators, drivers, and law enforcement officers by defining specific safety requirements and consequences for noncompliance. Key provisions likely include updated rules for bus operation, maintenance standards, and enforcement measures to ensure student safety during transportation. This legislation focuses on clarifying existing regulations and providing a structured framework for addressing safety concerns in school bus operations.

Issues: ✓ Education ✓ Transportation

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

House Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

Signed into Law

Mar 2025

Introduced Jan 24, 2025 Signed Mar 13, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Enrolled · 3 edits · Mar 4, 2025

MINOR

This bill modifies South Dakota's school bus safety laws by clarifying when drivers must slow down or stop for school buses on multi-lane highways, and adds a provision allowing video recordings from school buses to be used as evidence in legal cases. The changes aim to improve road safety around school buses while providing flexibility for drivers on divided highways and creating new tools for investigating traffic incidents.

Scope change

The bill expands clarity on when drivers on multi-lane highways must stop for school buses, distinguishing between buses traveling in the same direction versus opposite directions, and adds new provisions about video evidence from school buses.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified that drivers on highways with two or more lanes in each direction do not need to stop for school buses traveling in the opposite direction, even when red lights are flashing, but must still stop for buses traveling in the same direction.

Maintained existing requirements for drivers on two-lane roads to slow to 15 mph or less when approaching a school bus with amber lights flashing, and to stop completely when red lights are flashing.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a new provision allowing video recordings from school buses equipped with external video systems to be used as evidence in civil or criminal cases, without requiring districts to install such systems.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 3, 2025 · House Feb 4, 2025

How they voted

27–8

Passed

Total votes 35

Mar 3, 2025

D Democratic3

3 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican32

24 Yea 8 Nay

75% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 13, 2025

Signed into law

Signed by the Governor on 2025-03-13 H.J. 543

executive

Mar 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

Signed by the President S.J. 456

lower

Mar 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Signed by the Speaker H.J. 454

lower

Mar 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

Senate Do Pass , Passed, YEAS 27, NAYS 8 S.J. 422

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

Judiciary Do Pass , Passed, YEAS 6, NAYS 1

lower

Feb 10, 2025

Committee

Referred to S.J. 219

lower

Feb 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

House of Representatives Do Pass , Passed, YEAS 48, NAYS 19 H.J. 186

lower

Feb 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

Judiciary Do Pass , Passed, YEAS 13, NAYS 0 H.J. 5

lower

Jan 24, 2025

Introduced

First read in House and referred to H.J. 113

lower

23 primary · 0 co-sponsors