School districts will score twice as much money from traffic tickets issued from violations caught on school bus stop-arm cameras under legislation headed to the governor.

Aside from the massive fee hike, the biggest change from the current law — which was amended in 2021 to allow for school bus stop-arm cameras — involves allowing the ticket fees to go back to school districts. The House voted 65-39 and the Senate previously approved the proposal 23-15.

The stop-arm cameras, although allowed for the past three years, raise concerns among civil libertarians that footage captured by the cameras can be used for an than traffic infractions involving school buses, and that police and prosecutors may be able to subpoena the footage for an ever-expanding host of criminal investigations.

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House Bill 4928 amends the Michigan Motor Vehicle Code, Section 682, to allow school buses with cameras on their stop arms to submit that video to police as evidence if a vehicle fails to stop or illegally passes a school bus. Districts will be rewarded for doing so. Lawmakers say the change will help less affluent school districts afford the stop-arm cameras, which can cost up to $10,000 to install on a bus, according to a Senate Fiscal Agency analysis.

Violators will pay fines to the county treasurer’s office, which can also contract with a private vendor to process civil fines for camera-based violations.

The ticket fees will be distributed on a monthly basis to the school districts that own the school buses. The money must be used for “school transportation safety-related purposes.” The change also means local libraries, which currently receive the fine proceeds, will lose out on some revenue.

Early versions of the bill would have increased the minimum civil fine for failing to stop for a school bus from $100 to $250, with a maximum of $500. But the version that passed kept the minimum at $100 and the max at $500.

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Another provision under the legislation, House Bills 4928, 4929, and 4930, requires a vehicle to stop for a stopped school bus, despite a physical barrier between the vehicle and bus, if there is a crosswalk or pedestrian walkway.

Opponents of the legislation said the revisions are redundant, as school districts are already able to enter into contracts with private vendors for the camera systems.

In addition, they argue that existing legislation, including funding in the school aid budget and allowing the use of sinking fund millages on school buses, will enable more school districts to install the camera systems, according to the House Fiscal Legislative Analysis.

The legislation allows local law enforcement agency to review footage from a stop-arm camera within 30 days to determine if there was a violation. Based on the evidence, law enforcement can issue a citation, sent by first-class mail, to the individual with captured images from the video, a method to review the video, and the date, time, and location of the violation.

This is similar to other legislation Michigan lawmakers recently approved, allowing for automated speed cameras to be used in work zones. This means drivers who exceed the speed limit in construction areas can be ticketed by cameras instead of solely relying on police observation.

Michigan lawmakers approved House Bill 4132 in November to allow for automated speed cameras within work zones, which also now awaits the Governor’s signature, according to this ABC 12 News report. Michigan would join 17 other states that have passed similar legislation.

How They Voted

House Bills 4928-30

Democrats (49 Yeas)

Andrews (D-38); Brabec (D-33); Breen (D-21); Brixie (D-73); Byrnes (D-15); Carter (D-53); Carter (D-1); Coffia (D-103); Conlin (D-48); Dievendorf (D-77); Edwards (D-12); Fitzgerald (D-83); Glanville (D-84); Grant (D-82); Haadsma (D-44); Herzberg (D-25); Hill (D-109); Hope (D-74); Hoskins (D-18); Koleszar (D-22); Liberati (D-2); MacDonell (D-56); Martus (D-69); McFall (D-8); McKinney (D-14); Mentzer (D-61); Morgan (D-23); Morse (D-40); Neeley (D-70); O’Neal (D-94); Paiz (D-11); Pohutsky (D-17); Price (D-5); Puri (D-24); Rheingans (D-47); Rogers (D-41); Scott (D-7); Shannon (D-58); Skaggs (D-80); Snyder (D-87); Steckloff (D-19); Tate (D-10); Tsernoglou (D-75); Weiss (D-6); Whitsett (D-4); Wilson (D-32); Witwer (D-76); Xiong (D-13); Young (D-16)

(4 Nays)

Aiyash (D-9); Churches (D-27); Farhat (D-3); Wegela (D-26)

Republicans (16 Yeas)

Aragona (R-60); Bierlein (R-97); DeBoer (R-86); Filler (R-93); Green (R-67); Kunse (R-100); Lightner (R-45); Martin (R-68); Mueller (R-72); Neyer (R-92); Schmaltz (R-46); Schuette (R-95); Slagh (R-85); Tisdel (R-55); VanWoerkom (R-88); Wendzel (R-39)

(35 Nays)

Alexander (R-98); Beeler (R-64); BeGole (R-71); Beson (R-96); Bezotte (R-50); Bollin (R-49); Borton (R-105); Bruck (R-30); Carra (R-36); Cavitt (R-106); DeBoyer (R-63); DeSana (R-29); Fink (R-35); Fox (R-101); Friske (R-107); Hall (R-42); Hoadley (R-99); Johnsen (R-78); Kuhn (R-57); Maddock (R-51); Markkanen (R-110); Meerman (R-89); Outman (R-91); Paquette (R-37); Posthumus (R-90); Prestin (R-108); Rigas (R-79); Roth (R-104); Schriver (R-66); Smit (R-43); St. Germaine (R-62); Steele (R-54); Thompson (R-28); Wozniak (R-59); Zorn (R-34)

Didn’t vote

Greene (R-65); Harris (R-52); Hood (D-81); Miller (D-31); VanderWall (R-102); Arbit (D-20)