Has Your State Approved School Bus Advertising?

Given the state of the economy and the cuts in education funding that are being made, it's not a total surprise that several states have recently taken up the issue of school bus advertising.

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November 23, 2010

Has Your State Approved School Bus Advertising? — In Malaysia, school bus advertising augurs the kind of rampant commercialism -- and potential safety concerns -- that many people have about school bus advertising in the U.S.

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With some reluctance and not a small amount of community outrage, several states have agreed to allow advertising on school buses, both inside the bus and on the exterior. SCHOOL BUS FLEET has put together a grid of the current and pending legislation on the topic and will keep it updated as we gather additional information. We welcome any comments and updates from our readers.

STATE	Is school bus advertising legal?	Jurisdiction	Restrictions?	Notes
AZ	Yes (Sept 2009)	District	Exterior only. Requires any advertisement to be age appropriate and prohibits promotion of anything that is illegal for minors, including alcohol, tobacco and gambling.	a) For school districts located in nonattainment areas monies shall first be used to comply with energy conservation measures. Monies remaining after satisfying energy conservation requirements may be used to purchase alternative support vehicles and other costs as determined by the governing board. b) For school districts not located in nonattainment areas fund monies may be used for any pupil related cost as determinded by the governing board.
CO	Yes (Sept 2009)	District	Exterior only. Prohibits advertisement for alcohol, tobacco, religious organizations, political ads and anything sexually explicit in nature.	District uses these earnings towards a variety of programs, including band, choir and academic clubs
FL	Pending
KY	Pending (pre-filed for 2011)		Exterior only. Advertising of any alcohol or tobacco products, or political or campaign advertisements would be prohibited.	Local school boards would be required to allocate 50 percent of the net advertising proceeds for classroom use, and a minimum of 25 percent for offsetting the cost of student transportation.
MA	Yes	district	Exterior only. Prohibits advertisement for alcohol, tobacco, religious organizations, political ads and anything sexually explicit in nature.	Added to their annual revenue
MN	Yes	District	Districts devise their own policies and ads comply with those policies.	Deposited in their transportation accounts
NJ	Pre-filed Oct 2010, heading to senate for further consideration	District	Advertisements for tobacco or alcohol products or for political advocacy would be prohibited, in addition to any other advertisements that the Commissioner of Education deems inappropriate.	50 percent of the proceeds to offset the cost of transporting students. The other 50 percent could be used to support school programs and services, with the approval of the school board.
OH	Bill is now assigned to an Ohio House of Representatives committee for further discussion
OK	Bill drafted and going to the senate		Proposed law would not allow bus advertisements that promote hostility, violence, political candidates, bond issues, gambling, tobacco, firearms, or religious or political organizations.
RI	Yes (2010)	District	Exterior only. Prohibits advertisement for alcohol, tobacco, religious organizations, political ads and anything sexually explicit in nature.
TN	Yes (1997)	District	Size Limits: 16" by 60" ad on both sides of the bus below the windows. Prohibits advertisement for alcohol, tobacco, religious organizations, political ads and anything sexually explicit in nature	Sixty percent of ad revenue will go to the technology fund, 40 percent to the marketing firm, and any surplus can go to individual schools, according to WTVF-TV.
TX	Yes (2008)	District	30" by 90" located on the left rear quarter panel below the windows, and 18" by 108" located on either side above the windows. Prohibits advertisement for alcohol, tobacco, religious organizations, political ads and anything sexually explicit in nature.	Added to their annual revenue-they had a 26 million dollar deficit
UT	Bill failed			A poll showed 65% of residents wanted to allow
WA	Bill failed