Local school divisions, certain; flexibility relating to student transportation, sunset.

Formatting changed from plain text to structured Senate Substitute layout with line numbers and proper spacing

Added new Section 2 requiring all contracted transportation providers to comply with state and federal laws regarding operator training, hiring, background checks, insurance coverage, liability, and safety standards.

Added new Section 4 requiring the Department of Education to exclude additional expenditures from the re-benchmarking process for school divisions implementing the pilot program when adjusted for inflation.

Changed committee attribution from House Committee on Education to Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, reflecting the bill's progression through the legislative process.

Reformatted the bill text with line numbers and spacing changes typical of Senate committee markup, but no substantive policy changes in this formatting.

Changed applicability from localities with populations under 40,000 individuals to school divisions with fewer than 4,500 students in fall enrollment.

Added house substitute formatting, bill numbers, and updated dates from 1/27/2025 to 1/29/2025.

Removed original subcommittee header and replaced with House substitute formatting.

Reorganized transportation provisions into numbered sections under a new § 1 structure for clarity.

Changed document status from 'Enrolled' (final law) to 'Offered for Consideration' (draft version pending committee review)

Added page numbers and formatting typical of committee substitute amendments, including draft markings and date stamps

Reorganized bill structure to follow standard amendment format with references to specific Code of Virginia sections being amended

Removed enrolled act header information including chapter designation and approval status

Expiration date of July 1, 2027 remains in the bill text, though the bill itself is now in draft status pending committee action

Added eligibility requirement limiting the pilot program to school divisions with fewer than 4,500 students.

Added expiration date of July 1, 2027 for the pilot program provisions.

Added requirement that contracted transportation providers must comply with state and federal safety standards, insurance requirements, and liability protections.

Added provision requiring the Department of Education to exclude pilot program expenditures from state funding re-benchmarking when adjusted for inflation.

Changed language from 'pupils' to 'students' throughout the enrolled version for consistency.

Added formatting elements including session headers, chapter designation, and approval stamps typical of enrolled legislation.