By: Nichols, et al. S.C.R. No. 3
(Canales, Ashby, Thompson of Brazoria, Rogers, Harris)
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Each day, more than 26 million students rely on
school buses for safe transportation, and many school districts
have experienced difficulty in keeping up with this demand due to
federal licensing requirements that have exacerbated the shortage
of school bus drivers; and
WHEREAS, Part 383 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Regulations requires school bus drivers to obtain a Commercial
Driver's License, but the application process has included
unnecessary obstacles to meeting this obligation; for example, the
testing and training portions of the CDL application were
previously handled by different third-party skills examiners,
which limited applicants' ability to complete the exams if they did
not have access to both a tester and a trainer; a recent change to
this rule helps states streamline the process of obtaining a CDL by
allowing the same examiner to both test and train an applicant,
revealing that with less federal interference, states can license
school bus drivers more efficiently; and
WHEREAS, According to a survey conducted by School Bus Fleet
Magazine, most school districts have endured some degree of bus
driver shortage, and data from the National Association for Pupil
Transportation reveals that many school districts consider CDL
requirements to be a major factor in their ability to recruit and
retain bus drivers; one Texas school district has successfully
overcome its shortage, but only through costly training programs
that compensate new drivers as they complete the CDL application;
and
WHEREAS, School districts that provide valuable
transportation services are burdened by a flawed federal system
with inefficient licensing requirements, and Congress should solve
this problem by allowing states to establish regulations according
to their own needs; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas,
3rd Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the
United States to pass legislation that would grant licensing
authority for public school bus drivers to the states; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.