Utah 2025 Regular Session

Utah House Bill HB0161 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	~~Enrolled Copy~~ H.B. 161
	1	+	01-09 16:04 H.B. 161
2	2		1
3	3		School Bus Route Amendments
4	4		2025 GENERAL SESSION
5	5		STATE OF UTAH
6	6		Chief Sponsor: Ashlee Matthews
7		-	Senate Sponsor: Karen Kwan
8	7		2
9	8
10	9		3
11	10		LONG TITLE
12	11		4
13	12		General Description:
14	13		5
15	14		This bill amends student eligibility for state-supported transportation.
16	15		6
17	16		Highlighted Provisions:
18	17		7
19	18		This bill:
20	19		8
21	20		▸ amends student eligibility for state-supported transportation; and
22	21		9
23	22		▸ makes technical changes.
24	23		10
25	24		Money Appropriated in this Bill:
26	25		11
27	26		None
28	27		12
29	28		Other Special Clauses:
30	29		13
31	30		This bill provides a special effective date.
32	31		14
33	32		Utah Code Sections Affected:
34	33		15
35	34		AMENDS:
36	35		16
37	36		53F-2-403, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Chapter 507
38	37		17
39	38
40	39		18
41	40		Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
42	41		19
43	42		Section 1. Section 53F-2-403 is amended to read:
44	43		20
45	44		53F-2-403 . Eligibility for state-supported transportation -- Approved bus routes.
46	45		21
47	46		(1) A student eligible for state-supported transportation means:
48	47		22
49	48		(a) except as provided in Subsection (1)(b), a student enrolled in kindergarten through
50	49		23
51	50		grade 6 who lives at least 1-1/2 miles from school;
52	51		24
53	52		(b) a student enrolled in grade 6, if grade 6 is in a middle school, and grades 7 through
54	53		25
55	54		12 who lives at least two miles from school; and
56	55		26
57	56		(c) a student enrolled in a special program offered by a school district and approved by
58	57		27
59	58		the state board for trainable, motor, multiple-disability, or other students with severe
60	59		28
61		-	disabilities who are incapable of walking to school or where it is unsafe for students ~~H.B. 161 Enrolled Copy~~
	60	+	disabilities who are incapable of walking to school or where it is unsafe for students
62	61		29
63	62		to walk because of their disabling condition, without reference to distance from
64	63		30
65	64		school.
66	65		31
67		-	(2) If a school district implements double sessions as an alternative to new building
	66	+	(2) If a school district implements double sessions as an alternative to new building H.B. 161 01-09 16:04
68	67		32
69	68		construction, with the approval of the state board, those affected elementary school
70	69		33
71	70		students residing less than 1-1/2 miles from school may be transported one way to or
72	71		34
73	72		from school because of safety factors relating to darkness or other hazardous conditions
74	73		35
75	74		as determined by the local school board.
76	75		36
77	76		(3)(a) The state board shall distribute transportation money to school districts based on:
78	77		37
79	78		(i) an allowance per mile for approved bus routes;
80	79		38
81	80		(ii) an allowance per hour for approved bus routes; and
82	81		39
83	82		(iii) a minimum allocation for each school district eligible for transportation funding.
84	83		40
85	84		(b)(i) Except as provided in Subsection (3)(b)(ii), the state board shall distribute
86	85		41
87	86		appropriated transportation funds based on the prior year's eligible transportation
88	87		42
89	88		costs as legally reported under Subsection 53F-2-402(3).
90	89		43
91	90		(ii) The state board shall distribute state appropriations for transportation for fiscal
92	91		44
93	92		years 2021 and 2022 using fiscal year 2019 eligible transportation costs described
94	93		45
95	94		in Subsection 53F-2-402(3).
96	95		46
97	96		(c) The state board shall annually review the allowance per mile and the allowance per
98	97		47
99	98		hour and adjust the allowances to reflect current economic conditions.
100	99		48
101	100		(4)(a) Approved bus routes for funding purposes shall be determined on fall data
102	101		49
103	102		collected by October 1.
104	103		50
105	104		(b) Approved route funding shall be determined on the basis of the most efficient and
106	105		51
107	106		economic routes.
108	107		52
109	108		(5) A local school board may provide for the transportation of students regardless of the
110	109		53
111	110		distance from school, from general funds of the school district.
112	111		54
113	112		Section 2. Effective date.
114	113		55
115	114		This bill takes effect on July 1, 2025.
116	115		- 2 -