A proposal to require seat belts on school buses was trounced in the Senate on Friday.
The debate came as the Senate considered House Bill 1232, which would clarify the definition of “school vehicles” in state law. Senate President Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, who has sponsored legislation in the past to require school buses to have safety belts, offered an amendment to the bill.
The amendment would have required all buses purchased after June 30 to have three-point shoulder and lap belts and for all passengers to wear them.
“There are compelling reasons to do this,” said Shaffer, who said schools are increasingly purchasing buses with three-point harnesses.
The idea was shot to pieces by Republicans and Democrats, who said the proposal would be too costly and that school buses are already safe .
Sen. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs, a former high school teacher and basketball coach, said the requirement would add $30,000 to the cost of every school bus.
“This is a bad amendment,” said Sen. Evie Hudak, D-Westminster, a former teacher and member of the Colorado State Board of Education.
Hudak and others said school bus seats, with their reinforced, padded, high backs, keep kids safe. She said children are more likely to be injured walking in front of a bus than while riding on it.
The amendment failed on a 5-29 vote, while the underlying school vehicle bill won approval on a 34-0 vote. It must go back to the House for consideration of Senate amendments.
Another tussle Friday came as the Senate debated a bill requiring police to get a person’s written approval before conducting a consensual search of their vehicle, home or person.
Proponents of House Bill 1201 said citizens often don’t know they have the right to refuse the search. Backers also said those who are searched frequently are minorities.
Following the same arguments about civil liberties, Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, offered an amendment to prohibit police officers from conducting sobriety checkpoints. Spence said police should be allowed to stop only those who are violating the law.
With the help of four Democrats, her amendment was added to the bill. But Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, said Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat and a former Denver district attorney, would likely veto the bill if the amendment stayed.
Senators voted to strip off the amendment on a 20-14 vote, with two Democrats and two Republicans switching their votes to take off the language.
The underlying bill won initial approval on a voice vote.
Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626 or thoover@denverpost.com
