school bus driver is qualified to drive students; and
WHEREAS, While Federal and State laws and regulations serve
as safeguards to assure the safe transport of school children,
the "under-the-hood" training requirement for commercial
driver's licenses has proven to be a significant barrier to
entry into the school bus industry; and
WHEREAS, The "under-the-hood" training, which is tailored for
large commercial vehicles, requires a school bus driver to
identify certain parts of the school bus engine and remedy them
in the event of an issue; and
WHEREAS, The "under-the-hood" inspection is not applicable
for school bus drivers, since their pretrip inspection does not
require inspecting items in the engine bay, and in the event of
a breakdown, a school bus driver remains on the bus while
another individual addresses the mechanical issues; and
WHEREAS, Across this Commonwealth, school districts and
school bus companies have been struggling to hire and retain an
adequate number of qualified school bus drivers; and
WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the shortage,
at times resulting in school districts attempting to borrow
school bus drivers from neighboring school districts, to
significantly modify or delay bus schedules or ultimately having
no choice but to cancel an entire school day; and
WHEREAS, The number of licensed school bus drivers in this
Commonwealth is declining, while the number of students needing
daily school bus transportation continues to increase; therefore
be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
States, the United States Department of Transportation and the
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