After two child deaths, Maine committee hears emotional testimony for emergency school‑bus safety bill

Representative Valerie Geiger presented LD 2159 at a Jan. 30 public hearing after two recent tragedies: a 12‑year‑old in Rockland and a 5‑year‑old in Standish were killed in separate bus incidents within weeks of each other. The bill would require all Maine school buses to be equipped with front crossing arms and require drivers to engage the device while students board and disembark. Representative Anne Matlack introduced an amendment to add anti‑pinch (and anti‑drag) door sensors and to require retrofitting funding; the amendment also asks that the Comptroller or the general‑fund unallocated surplus be used if necessary to pay for retrofits rather than drawing from existing education allocations.

Testimony at the hearing was strongly in favor. The Department of Education told the committee that, based on DOE data, roughly 1,120 buses in the state would require retrofitting (the department provided an upper bound of about 3,000 depending on manufacturer variance), and noted about 75 buses lack the air‑brake systems that would allow a direct crossing‑arm installation and might require replacement or alternate solutions. DOE staff also cautioned about cold‑weather maintenance, contingency plans when an arm is not functioning, and operational impacts such as scheduling and slot conflicts. The governor has proposed approximately $4.3 million in the supplemental budget to help retrofit buses with crossing arms and sensors.

Manufacturers and safety vendors described available anti‑pinch and anti‑drag technologies and testing standards (including references to California and European regulations). Parents and community members delivered emotional testimony urging immediate action; two families and community advocates asked lawmakers to require the measures and to consider additional safety layers—3‑60° cameras, audible driver alarms, routine hands‑on training, and better driver oversight or complaint mechanisms.

Committee members requested follow‑up: statewide model policies from other states (Georgia, Wisconsin, Delaware were cited), technical information on radar and camera options, a survey of how many buses already have crossing arms, and a district‑level inventory for the work session. The committee did not take a vote at the hearing and will consider the bill at a scheduled work session after staff collects the requested data.