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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 328 FILED ON: 1/8/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4011 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Michelle L. Badger and Kathleen R. LaNatra |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act eliminating predatory transportation pricing of school districts. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Michelle L. Badger1st Plymouth1/8/2025James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex3/26/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 328 FILED ON: 1/8/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4011 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representatives Badger of Plymouth and LaNatra of Kingston, a petition (accompanied by |
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| 19 | 19 | | bill, House, No. 4011) of Michelle L. Badger and James C. Arena-DeRosa for legislation to |
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| 20 | 20 | | establish a school transportation commission. Education. |
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| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
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| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | An Act eliminating predatory transportation pricing of school districts. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1 Section 7A of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:- |
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| 31 | 31 | | 3 The department shall establish a pricing structure, including a daily price cap, for |
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| 32 | 32 | | 4contracts between private transportation companies and school committees for the transportation |
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| 33 | 33 | | 5of pupils receiving special education and out-of-district students, and for the transportation of |
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| 34 | 34 | | 6pupils in school districts receiving funds under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless |
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| 35 | 35 | | 7Assistance Act, based on factors including the number of students transported daily, the number |
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| 36 | 36 | | 8of miles traveled and the schedule of rates and wages furnished by the commissioner of labor and |
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| 37 | 37 | | 9industries pursuant to the second paragraph, if such a schedule is furnished to a particular school |
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| 38 | 38 | | 10committee. A school transportation commission shall be established within the department to |
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| 39 | 39 | | 11promote fairness, equity and cost transparency in public school transportation for students |
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| 40 | 40 | | 12receiving special education and out-of-district students. The commission shall consist of the 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 13following 15 members: 4 members from the department; 5 members serving on a school |
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| 42 | 42 | | 14committee, to be appointed by the commissioner; 3 members representing school transportation |
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| 43 | 43 | | 15providers, to be appointed by the governor; and 3 members of advocacy groups specializing in |
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| 44 | 44 | | 16issues related to students in foster care and experiencing homelessness. The commission shall |
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| 45 | 45 | | 17promulgate regulations, pursuant to chapter 30A, which shall include: (i) guidance on how to |
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| 46 | 46 | | 18better serve pupils in the foster care system or experiencing homelessness, or pupils from |
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| 47 | 47 | | 19migrant communities; and (ii) a system for ensuring compliance with the pricing structure and |
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| 48 | 48 | | 20pricing cap developed by the department. Annually, not later than September 30, the commission |
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| 49 | 49 | | 21shall conduct a review of school transportation contract compliance. Contracts exceeding a |
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| 50 | 50 | | 22financial threshold, to be determined by the commission, shall be subject to direct review and |
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| 51 | 51 | | 23approval, while all other contracts shall be subject to compliance audits and reporting |
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| 52 | 52 | | 24requirements as determined by the commission. The commission shall annually assess the impact |
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| 53 | 53 | | 25of the transportation pricing structure on the educational experience and outcomes for students, |
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| 54 | 54 | | 26including special education, homeless and foster care students. The department shall use the |
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| 55 | 55 | | 27results of the commission’s assessment to make necessary adjustments to the pricing structure, |
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| 56 | 56 | | 28policies and guidelines to ensure that the transportation system remains effective and equitable. |
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