Texas 2021 - 87th 3rd C.S.

Texas Senate Bill SCR3 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	S.C.R. No. 3
	1	+	By: Nichols, et al. S.C.R. No. 3
	2	+	(Canales, Ashby, Thompson of Brazoria, Rogers, Harris)
2	3
3	4
4	5		SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
5	6		WHEREAS, Each day, more than 26 million students rely on
6	7		school buses for safe transportation, and many school districts
7	8		have experienced difficulty in keeping up with this demand due to
8	9		federal licensing requirements that have exacerbated the shortage
9	10		of school bus drivers; and
10	11		WHEREAS, Part 383 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
11	12		Regulations requires school bus drivers to obtain a Commercial
12	13		Driver's License, but the application process has included
13	14		unnecessary obstacles to meeting this obligation; for example, the
14	15		testing and training portions of the CDL application were
15	16		previously handled by different third-party skills examiners,
16	17		which limited applicants' ability to complete the exams if they did
17	18		not have access to both a tester and a trainer; a recent change to
18	19		this rule helps states streamline the process of obtaining a CDL by
19	20		allowing the same examiner to both test and train an applicant,
20	21		revealing that with less federal interference, states can license
21	22		school bus drivers more efficiently; and
22	23		WHEREAS, According to a survey conducted by School Bus Fleet
23	24		Magazine, most school districts have endured some degree of bus
24	25		driver shortage, and data from the National Association for Pupil
25	26		Transportation reveals that many school districts consider CDL
26	27		requirements to be a major factor in their ability to recruit and
27	28		retain bus drivers; one Texas school district has successfully
28	29		overcome its shortage, but only through costly training programs
29	30		that compensate new drivers as they complete the CDL application;
30	31		and
31	32		WHEREAS, School districts that provide valuable
32	33		transportation services are burdened by a flawed federal system
33	34		with inefficient licensing requirements, and Congress should solve
34	35		this problem by allowing states to establish regulations according
35	36		to their own needs; now, therefore, be it
36	37		RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas,
37	38		3rd Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the
38	39		United States to pass legislation that would grant licensing
39	40		authority for public school bus drivers to the states; and, be it
40	41		further
41	42		RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
42	43		copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
43	44		the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
44	45		Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
45	46		members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
46	47		this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
47	48		memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.
48		-	______________________________ ______________________________
49		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
50		-	______________________________ ______________________________
51		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
52		-	I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 3 was adopted by the Senate
53		-	on October 5, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
54		-	______________________________
55		-	Secretary of the Senate
56		-	I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 3 was adopted by the House
57		-	on October 17, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 128, Nays 2,
58		-	two present not voting.
59		-	______________________________
60		-	Chief Clerk of the House
61		-	Approved:
62		-	______________________________
63		-	Date
64		-	______________________________
65		-	Governor