Legislation Focus

One of the most valuable benefits of your MSBCA membership is the legislative advocacy you receive on behalf of school bus contractors through our dedicated lobbyist. Marty Lostrom serves as both our Executive Director and Government Affairs Lobbyist, representing your interests year-round—especially during the Maryland General Assembly’s 90-day session from mid-January to mid-April. She closely monitors all legislation related to education, transportation, student transportation, school bus regulation, CDL licensing, and issues affecting small business owners. When new laws or regulatory changes are needed, Marty develops a comprehensive strategy to draft, introduce, and guide a bill through the legislative process to final passage.

2026 Legislative Bill Tracked

The 2026 Session came to a close Sine Die on April 13 with a number of bills MSBCA supported passing into law. A list of all the bills we were following are noted below.

House Bill	Senate Bill	Title & Synopsis	Committee / Status	MSBCA Position
HB 319 Del Sherie Sample-Hughes	SB 292 Sen Jack Bailey	County Boards of Education – Student Transportation – Sunset Repeal Repealing the termination date of certain provisions of law that authorize a county board of education to provide transportation to and from school for certain students using a vehicle other than a certain type of school vehicle under certain circumstances.	Both Bills Passed in Both Chambers	Favorable with Amendments Written
HB 474 Del. Edith Patterson et al	SB 698 Sen. Cory McCray	Vehicle Laws – Dangerous Accumulations of Snow and Ice – Removal From Exposed Vehicle Surfaces (Clear Before You Drive Act) Bill Now Includes Amendments such as: 1) cause the operator of the vehicle to violate any law or other workplace safety” – i.e. If this requirement violates OSHA/MOSHA requirement for safe practices, it would not apply. 2) Threatens the health or safety of the operator of the vehicle. – same as #1 sort of. Example applies to say a truck on the road for days/weeks where they cannot do so roadside due to safety. 3) A person may not receive another or second violation in a 24-hour period. Give times for motorist to comply. 4) Can only be applied as a secondary violation.	Both Bills Passed in Both Chambers	House – Letter of Information Only Senate – Favorable with Amendments Letter
HB 1113 Del. Robyn Lewis	SB 936 Senator Chris West	Vehicle Laws – Bus Obstruction Monitoring Systems and Bus Stop Zones Replacing references to a bus lane monitoring system with references to a bus obstruction monitoring system; and prohibiting a person from stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle in a bus stop zone if a transit vehicle is present, subject to certain exceptions.	Both Bills Failed	No Position Monitor Only
HB 1604 Del Ken Kerr	SB 646 Sen Nancy King	Public School System Contracts – Prohibited Provisions Prohibiting certain provisions from being included in public school system contracts; specifying that certain provisions are void if included in a public school system contract; specifying the applicable law and interpretation of public school system contracts; and applying the Act prospectively. ** Most Impact clause of this bill would change future contracts are no loner able to use arbitration re contract disputes, requires disputed to go court – cost of attorney fees. **	House Bill Failed Senate Bill Passed in Both Chambers	No Position with New Amendments Monitor Only
HB 1610 Del Ken Kerr	SB 968 Sen Jason Gallion	Education – School Bus – Fire Safety Standards Repealing the requirement that a school bus DRIVER’S SEAT only be constructed with certain materials that enable it to meet all the criteria of the school bus seat upholstery fire block test established by the National School Transportation specifications and procedures adopted by the most recent National Congress on School Transportation.	House Bill Failed Senate Bill Passed in Both Chambers	House & Senate- Favorable Written and In Person Testimony
Bills of Interest That Did Not Crossover on March 23 (Monitor Only)
HB 79 Del Brian Chisholm		Climate Solutions Affordability Act of 2026 Specifying that certain requirements under the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 are to be carried out to the extent economically practicable, including requirements concerning achieving certain direct greenhouse gas emissions reductions from certain buildings, measuring and reporting direct emissions data to the Department of the Environment, achieving certain greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, and achieving zero-emission vehicle goals relating to the State vehicle fleet and local school buses; etc.	Did Not Crossover	Favorable Written
HB 189 Del April Miller	SB 103 Sen Joanne Benson	Public Middle, High, and Charter Schools – Start Time for Instruction Requiring, beginning in the 2028-2029 school year, each public middle school and each public high school to begin instruction not earlier than 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., respectively, unless granted a waiver by the State Board of Education under certain circumstances; and requiring each county board of education and each public charter school to implement a certain public service campaign to raise awareness of sleep deprivation and later school start times.	Did Not Crossover in Both Chambers	Unfavorable Written
HB 110 Del Deni Taveras		Motor Vehicles – School Buses – Seat Belts Requiring the public school safety education program to include student instruction concerning school bus safety and the proper use of seat belts on school buses; requiring that school buses purchased after July 1, 2030, and registered in the State be equipped with, for every seat on the school bus, 3-point seat belts that are accessible to passengers; and prohibiting a civil action for damages based on the failure of a school bus operator to ensure that an occupant of a school bus was wearing a seat belt.	Did Not Crossover	Favorable with Amendments Written
HB 1019 Del Seth Howard Del Jason Buckel		School Bus Transition – Propane-Powered School Buses – Grant Program, Fund, and Purchase Altering certain provisions of law relating to funding and grants to transition to zero-emission vehicle school buses to include propane-powered school buses; and authorizing a county board of education, beginning in fiscal year 2030, to enter into a new contract for the purchase of school buses that are propane-powered.	Did Not Crossover	Favorable Written and In Person Testimony
HB1229 Del Vaugn Stewart	SB 886 Sen Anthony Muse	Consumer Protection and Labor and Employment – Food Service Facilities and Minimum Wage Establishing that every person, as a central component of an individual’s right to liberty and equality, has the fundamental right while engaged in employment in the State to be paid at a wage rate that is at least equal to the State minimum wage rate set by law without regard to tips that the individual receives; repealing exemptions from Maryland Wage and Hour Law; specifying the State minimum wage rate and tip credit amount that is in effect for certain time periods; etc.	Did Not Crossover in Both Chambers	Unfavorable Written Submitted 3/9
HB 1446 Del Karen Toles		Commercial Driver’s Instructional Permits – School Vehicles – Knowledge Test Authorizing certain school vehicle driver trainers to administer the commercial driver’s instructional permit knowledge test to applicants for a commercial driver’s license – school bus endorsement.	Did Not Crossover	Unfavorable Written Sponsor declined Amendments Request
HB 1493 Charles Co Delegation	SB 574 Charles Co Senators	Charles County – Student Bus Transportation Providers – Provider Displacement Requiring the Charles County Board of Education to provide at least 10 years’ notice and hold a certain public hearing before taking any action that results in a certain displacement of a person that has been providing student bus transportation services in Charles County; and requiring the Board of Education to provide written notice by registered mail at least 2 years before the displacement of a person that has been providing student bus transportation services.	Did Not Crossover in Both Chambers	Favorable Written and or In Person Testimony
HB 26 Del Karen Toles	SB 350 Sen A. Washingtn	Public Schools – Open Enrollment – Policies and Funds Authorizing a county board of education to adopt an open enrollment policy to authorize certain students to attend, free of charge, a public school in a county other than the county where the student is domiciled with the student’s parent or guardian, subject to certain requirements; requiring county boards to include certain students in full-time equivalent enrollment counts; and directing certain funding to the county in which certain students are enrolled in a public school under an open enrollment policy.	Did Not Crossover in Both Chambers	Monitor Only No Change
HB 64 Delegate Kris Fair	SB 170 Senator Karen Lewis Young	Task Force on Education Funding and Student Population Growth Establishing the Task Force on Education Funding and Student Population Growth to analyze the challenges related to the delay in student enrollment counts and its effect on school funding and the connection between growing student populations and the provision of school funding; and requiring the Task Force to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before December 15, 2026.	Did Not Crossover in Both Chambers	Monitor Only No Change
HB 116 Del April Miller	SB 147 Senator Justin Ready	Education – Agreements, Procurement Contracts, and Memoranda of Understanding – Reporting and Publication Requiring the reporting of certain procurement contracts and memoranda of understanding entered into by certain public elementary and secondary education systems in the State; and requiring each local school system to make publicly available on the local school system’s website certain in-kind services agreements, procurement contracts, and memoranda of understanding.	Did Not Crossover in Both Chambers	Monitor Only No Change
HB 530 Del Chao Wu		Task Force on Proactive Review of Audio and Video Recordings on Special Education Buses Establishing the Task Force on Proactive Review of Audio and Video Recordings on Special Education Buses to study the use of artificial intelligence to proactively review audio and video recordings from special education buses to ensure the safety and security of student passengers; and requiring the Task Force by December 1 2026, to report its findings and recommendations to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the Senate Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment, and the House Ways and Means Committee.	Did Not Crossover	Monitor Only No Change

Federal Legislation

2026 NSTA Annual Capitol Hill Bus-In

March 11-13, 2026, Washington, DC

The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) returned to the
Nation’s Capital earlier this year, as the organization hosted its 2026 NSTA Capitol Hill Bus-In Program. The event was held in Washington, D.C. from March 11-13, 2026, and over the course of the two-day
affair, NSTA Members traversed Capitol Hill engaging with lawmakers to advocate for top NSTA legislative priorities.

The centerpieces of the Bus-In advocacy effort were two measures – the Brake for Kids Act (H.R. 2348/S. 2812), and the Driving Forward Act (H.R. 2360/S. 1284). As NSTA members took to the Hill, both pieces of legislation took center stage in meetings with Members of Congress and their staff, as they highlighted these NSTA top legislative priorities.

In meetings with Congressional Offices, NSTA Members encouraged House of Representatives and
Senators to sign on as Co-Sponsors on the Brake for Kids Act. In September 2025, NSTA applauded the introduction of this initiative in the U.S. Senate, which was introduced by Senator Todd Young (IN). The bill directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to execute a nationwide public safety messaging campaign, designed to highlight the dangers of illegal passing. The public messaging campaign would include radio and television advertisements, highlighting the dangers of illegal passing.

Another topic of discussion in Congressional Offices included the Driving Forward Act (H.R. 2360/S.
1284). During the 2025 Capitol Hill Bus-In, NSTA outlined the measure’s purpose and also leaned on Senate and House members to sign on as co-sponsors. NSTA previously identified the under the hood testing requirement for a school bus driver to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) as a major barrier of entry to many applicants interested in entering the profession. Ultimately, NSTA believes that the passage of the Driving Forward Act would lead to a wider adoption of the exemption by State Driver’s License Agencies (SDLAs) and would likely expand the school bus driver pool nationwide. Following the 2026 NSTA Capitol Hill Bus-In and its advocacy efforts, Sen. Steve Daines (MT) quickly signed on as a co-sponsor to the Driving Forward Act on March 16, 2026.

For more information regarding the NSTA – visit www.yellowbuses.org

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