Minnesota’s stop-arm law is clear: when a school bus extends its stop-sign arm and flashes red lights, vehicles must stop at least 20 feet away and wait until the lights stop flashing and the sign is retracted.
Violating this law currently results in a $500 fine. More serious cases, when individuals attempt to pass a bus with children present in the roadway or attempt to pass on the passenger-door side, can lead to gross misdemeanor charges.
However, DFL lawmakers want to eliminate the $500 fine. HF 2736 and SF 2613, introduced by Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, and Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, would remove the fine for stop-arm violations. As stated in the bill’s online description: “Mandatory fine for school bus stop-signal arm violations eliminated.”
Rep. Frazier defended the move in a statement to Northern News Now, saying:
“Every Minnesota child deserves a safe journey to and from school. However, a one-size-fits-all mandatory penalty for passing a stopped school bus isn’t necessarily the best deterrent. My bill ensures strong enforcement of stop-arm violations while allowing judges to consider individual circumstances and impose fair, appropriate penalties.”
Incidents involving reckless drivers ignoring stop arms are well documented, with thousands of stop-arm citations being recorded every year, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS).
“The contrast couldn’t be greater. As I work in Congress to protect children from illegal school bus passings, Twin Cities liberals in St. Paul are trying to eliminate fines for drivers who endanger children by driving past a stopped bus,” Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber said in response to the bill.
Bus drivers participate in an annual survey with DPS during which they note the number of drivers they see and how many violate the stop-arm law. In 2024, bus drivers who participated in the survey reported observing 476 violations in a single day.
Between 2018 to 2024, police issued 8,517 stop-arm violation citations, according to DPS data. School districts have also begun installing cameras on buses to catch violators.
“House Democrats are proposing to REMOVE fines for drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses. Why is this a priority?” Minnesota House Republicans wrote in a post on X, calling the proposed legislation “damaging.”
Meanwhile, a separate, bipartisan bill would increase fines for repeat violators of the stop-arm law.
“The main problem we’re faced with is that the fine is the same whether you violate the law once, twice, or a hundred times, and based on data regarding stop arm violations, it’s clear we need stronger deterrents in order to keep our kids safe on their way to and from school,” said state Sen. Karin Housley, R-Stillwater, the lead author of the bill.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
