A Kansas City-area lawmaker wants to beef up penalties for drivers who don’t stop for school buses. State Rep. Mike Jones, R-Platte County, questioned why people are not more motivated to stop for children getting on and off school buses and suggests it’s because the punishment is not harsh enough.
“You know, according to our prosecutor, the typical fine is around $130.00,” Jones told Missourinet. “It is a Class A misdemeanor.”
A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by fines of up to $2,000. But Jones said there is no mandatory minimum fine for passing a stopped school bus with its “stop” sign extended.
“I think we can really put some teeth in (the law) instead of, you know, this being treated kind of like a minor traffic offense, you know, for 130 bucks,” he said. “People kind of move on like it’s no big deal when, you know, the safety of our children is paramount.”
Jones plans to file legislation that would that would have mandatory minimum fines built in.
“First offense comes with a mandatory minimum of $500 fine,” he said. “Second offense, mandatory minimum of $1000 fine.”
His proposal would also mandate in-person court appearances for someone charged with passing a parked school bus and would impose five points on the offender’s driver’s license. It would also impose harsher driver’s license suspensions.
“The first offense, it has optional and mandatory license suspensions,” Jones said. “For the first offense it would be an optional period that the court can suspend your license up to 30 days. Second offense is a mandatory 90 days. Third offense, mandatory 180 days.”
Jones has not yet pre-filed the bill. He told Missourinet that it’s still being researched and drafted.
Missouri’s 2026 legislative session begins January 7th in Jefferson City.
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