HB879: HB879 Motor vehicles; penalty for violations captured by school bus camera; provisions

Georgia law already lets cameras on school buses catch drivers who illegally pass a stopped bus, with the vehicle's owner facing a civil penalty. HB879 amends O.C.G.A. section 40-6-163 to adjust how that penalty works. It keeps the criminal fine for a driver who gets a traffic citation at $500 to $1,000 (or up to 12 months in jail, or both) as a high and aggravated misdemeanor, and sets the same $500 to $1,000 range for the civil penalty charged to a vehicle's owner when a camera catches the violation, while letting a court reduce, suspend, or put that penalty on probation. The bill requires law enforcement to get the vehicle owner's name and address from the Department of Revenue and to mail the owner a citation, a photo, a sworn officer certificate, and a clear statement in at least 12 point font telling the owner they have the right to contest the penalty in court. It also changes how collected penalty money must be spent: instead of funding local law enforcement or public safety initiatives, the money must be divided equally among all schools in the jurisdiction for school safety purposes such as security systems, crossing guards, and safety training.

• Keeps the criminal fine for drivers cited for illegally passing a stopped school bus at $500 to $1,000, with up to 12 months of confinement, as a high and aggravated misdemeanor.
• Sets the civil monetary penalty for vehicle owners caught by school bus cameras at $500 to $1,000, while letting a court amend, modify, alter, suspend, or probate that penalty.
• Requires law enforcement to obtain the vehicle owner's name and address from the Department of Revenue before mailing a citation.
• Requires the mailed citation to include a conspicuous statement in at least 12 point font that the owner has the right to contest the penalty in court.
• Changes how penalty money collected must be used: instead of local law enforcement or public safety initiatives, it must be split equally among all schools in the jurisdiction for school safety purposes.
• Expands the definition of school safety purposes to include measures like access control, cybersecurity, visitor management, crossing guards, and mental health support tied to law enforcement.

Drivers who pass stopped school buses, vehicle owners whose cars are caught by school bus cameras, local law enforcement agencies that issue citations and collect penalties, the Department of Revenue, which supplies owner records, and public and private elementary and secondary schools that would receive the reallocated penalty money.

Vehicle owners cited by a school bus camera would get a clearer, legally required notice of their right to fight the ticket in court, and courts would have explicit authority to reduce or suspend the penalty. Money from these penalties would go directly and equally to schools for safety measures rather than to law enforcement budgets generally.

• Section 1 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. section 40-6-163, keeping the criminal penalty for a cited driver at a fine of $500 to $1,000, up to 12 months confinement, or both, as a high and aggravated misdemeanor.
• Section 1 revises subparagraph (d)(3)(A) to set the civil monetary penalty for vehicle owners at $500 to $1,000 and explicitly authorizes courts to amend, modify, alter, suspend, or probate that penalty.
• Section 1 revises subparagraph (d)(3)(B) to require law enforcement to obtain owner information from the Department of Revenue within ten days and to mail a citation, photo evidence, a sworn officer certificate, and required notices.
• The mailed notice must include the statement 'YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO CONTEST THIS PENALTY IN COURT' in at least 12 point font on the front page.
• Section 1 revises paragraph (15) of subsection (d) to redefine how collected penalty money is used, requiring equal allocation among all schools in the jurisdiction for school safety purposes rather than for local law enforcement or public safety initiatives generally.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-04-02House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-31House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-28House Hopper (House)

• Don Parsons (R, HD-044)Primary sponsor
• Matt Barton (R, HD-005)
• Derrick McCollum (R, HD-030)
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Mitchell Scoggins (R, HD-014)
• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-015)

• school bus safety
• traffic penalties
• school bus cameras
• school safety funding
• motor vehicle law