House approves school bus stop-arm camera bill February 9, 2026 Rep. David Hale, R-Wellington, speaks on House Bill 7 on the House floor on Monday. The legislation would allow school districts to install stop-arm cameras on school buses. A high-res version as available here. FRANKFORT — A Kentucky House bill geared toward preventing school bus stop-arm violations advanced off the House floor on Monday. Rep. David Hale, R-Wellington, said House Bill 7 would make it easier for school districts and law enforcement to hold drivers who violate the law accountable. Data shows there are more than a thousand school bus stop-arm violations daily on Kentucky roadways, Hale said. “You can ask your school bus drivers in your districts,” he added. “I’m sure that they could tell you the violations or things they see on a daily basis that definitely bring a lot of possible harm to those individuals who are exiting the buses or getting onto those buses.” HB 7 would give school districts permission to install stop-arm cameras on school buses. Hale said the bill is not a mandate. “It sets up an entirely violator-funded stop-arm camera safety program,” he said. If a school district chooses to install stop-arm cameras, Hale said the vendor would collect the data and share the violator’s information with local law enforcement. From there, law enforcement would review the footage before contacting the violator and issuing a civil penalty. “(Law enforcement) would actually have to sign a sworn statement that they had viewed the video and that a violation did occur,” Hale said. Violators would be fined $300 on the first offense and $500 on the second or subsequent offense, according to the bill. To ensure due process, Hale said fined individuals would have up to 60 days to file an appeal in district court. For individuals who do not pay the fine after 60 says, Hale said the local law enforcement agency could contact the Department of Transportation to have the violator’s motor vehicle registration suspended. In seeking clarification on who pays for the stop-arm camera installation, Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, D-Louisville, asked Hale if the school district would have to pay for installation up front. Hale said school districts would not have to pay in advance to install the cameras. Instead, the vendor the district chooses to contract with would be reimbursed through the collection of violation fees. Marzian then spoke in-favor of the legislation. “I think it’s a really great safety measure for our school buses,” she said. Before voting on the legislation, Rep. Bobby McCool, R-Van Lear, said if the legislation saves one life, it will be worth it. McCool shared he was once hit by a truck while exiting a school bus. “It did change my life,” McCool said. “I’m a lucky one. The next one might not be.” After a 78-15 vote, HB 7 now will go before the Senate for consideration. The post House approves school bus stop-arm camera bill appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less