The Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure met Tuesday morning to discuss two bills, and hear a presentation from the Department of Transportation.
Senate Bill 238 would increase fines for drivers who pass stopped school busses. The bill would double fines for every offense possible.
Fine increases would include:
· First conviction would increase the minimum to $500 and the maximum to $1,000.
· Second conviction would increase the minimum to $1,000 and the maximum to $1,500
· Third conviction would increase to a $2,000 fine
The bill would also require school buses to carry front facing camera on the dash of the bus, so it could capture the license plate of any driver who would violate the bill.
The Committee voted unanimously to approve the bill, and was referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
The Dept. of Transportation updated the Committee on the progress made in 2018, and mentioned that there are already 203 projects for 2019.
The Dept. talked about the Blue Ribbon Commission Report of the roads of West Virginia in 2013. Under the report it stated that to maintain the roads as needed, $1.1 billion would be needed annually. Under the report, West Virginia is already 5.5 billion behind. The report also states that 24,000 secondary roads are in need of maintenance.
The Committee asked questions and expressed concerns about orphan roads and drainage for the roads not being addressed yet, and asked for another presentation at a later time to address these issues.
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