Scribner, Rell Promote School Bus Safety Legislation

ROCKY HILL — Legislation offering school districts tax credits when they buy buses outfitted with safety belts was cemented here today during a poignant ceremony attended by Rep. David Scribner.

The ceremony took place at Rocky Hill High School, where Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed the legislation giving districts 50 percent reimbursement on state sales tax paid for each new belt-outfitted bus bought. The parents of a Rocky Hill student killed this year in a school bush crash participated and challenged districts throughout the state to each purchase one safety belt-outfitted bus suitable for longer trips.

The legislature approved the tax credit measure during the final days of the 2010 session.

“It was heart-wrenching to bring a bill forward knowing the emotional attachment that came with it,” said Scribner, ranking member of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. “Through this plan we’ve generated public support for districts taking additional steps to ensure the safety of our students.”

Safety belts on school buses weren’t a new topic for legislators, but the Jan. 9 death of 16-year-old Vikas Parikh in a bus crash reignited the push to have lawmakers mandate their installation. The idea attracted support from many in the state, balanced by concerns from municipal officials worried about the cost.

Brookfield and Bethel legislator Scribner outlined the legislation’s financial details—and the importance of leaving decision-making up to local officials weary of unfunded state mandates.

Scribner told the news media that he kept in mind the state’s financial troubles as he suggested the sales tax credit—a loss in state revenue, he explained, would be offset by an increase in driver’s license restoration fees charged by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Rell and Transportation Chairman Rep. Tony Guerrera credited Scribner for his diligence on the safety belt issue, and the Brookfield legislator responded by telling reporters that the legislature in passing the proposal breathed life into an issue that had been stuck in legislative limbo for several years.