In late March, the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) hosted its annual Capitol Hill Bus-In. As has become tradition, this yearly event provides an opportunity for private operators to engage with members of Congress and their staff members to discuss matters of importance to student transportation. This year, the 65 attendees held 153 separate Hill meetings over a two-day period from March 26-27, 2025.
The Kimpton-George Hotel served as home base for the 2025 NSTA Capitol Hill Bus-In, as it had the previous year. As NSTA members arrived in the nation’s capitol on Wednesday, they immediately began with a planning session of the key NSTA issues that took place over a luncheon session.
Brake for Kids Act
One primary advocacy policy ask was the Brake for Kids Act,which calls for a national public safety messaging campaign involving television and radio advertisements to educate the public that passing a stopped school bus is illegal and can have grave consequences. This bipartisan initiative is being spearheaded in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08), with Congressman Rudy Yakym (IN-02) and Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) as co-prime sponsors.
In fact, Rep. Stauber stopped by our Bus-In welcome luncheon and orientation and confirmed that his bill was introduced that very day as H.R. 2348. Since then, the bill has received 12 additional co-sponsors, including co-primes Rep. Yakym and Rep. Brownley. Additionally, Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-6), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), Rep. Darren Soto (FL-9), Rep. Derrick Van Orden (WI-3), Rep. Tony Wied (WI-8), Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Rep. Tim Kennedy (NY-26), Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), Rep. Tom Suozzi (NY-3), and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (NY-2) signed on too.
In his remarks, Stauber recounted his career as a Duluth, Minnesota, police officer for 23 years and noted the many times that he personally encountered the illegal passing of a stopped school bus. Stauber has served since 2013 as a member of local governing bodies in northern Minnesota, including the St. Louis County, Minnesota Commission (which includes Duluth) and the Hermantown City Council, where he served for eight years. Stauber was elected to Congress in November 2018, so his community background is extraordinarily strong.
Driving Forward Act
Additionally, NSTA welcomed another member of Congress to the Bus-In event when Rep. John Carter (TX-31) attended and spoke at the Capitol Hill recap reception & dinner on Wednesday evening. Carter is known locally in Texas as Judge Carter, and he talked about driving a school bus while he was attending law school at the University of Texas. Carter recounted a few humorous anecdotes as a bus driver and sitting judge in his remarks to the group.
He also announced the reintroduction of the Driving Forward Act (H.R. 2360). This bill would permanently extend the exemption from the engine compartment portion of the pre-trip vehicle inspection skills testing requirement for school bus drivers, as well as provide for states to collect data that would determine its success. Carter has been a strong proponent of the bill, as his son, a successful high school baseball coach, determined that he would like to be able to transport his team through the use of this “School Bus Only” license.
As you can see, the Bus-In was hugely successful, and NSTA is poised to make solid advocacy gains in 2025, and that has me optimistic.
Even though I am winding down my term as NSTA president, I would like to thank those who have taken time to write. As I often note, we are stronger together, and communication is the key.
If you would like to find out more about other NSTA activities and priorities, drop me a line at president@yellowbuses.org. I am always interested in receiving your valuable input and perspective. And remember, with NSTA, you never travel alone.
