republic-os/legislation/us/states/ky/2024rs/hb-447.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT relating to the transportation of students and declaring an emergency."
description: "Amend KRS 156.153 to permit school districts to use district-owned, leased, or contracted passenger transportation vehicles to transport students to and from school and approved school activities under an alternative transportation plan approved by the Kentucky Department of Education; provide that vehicles shall be operated by an employee or contractor of local school district that is licensed to operate a motor vehicle within the Commonwealth; provide that the Kentucky Department of Education shall promulgate administrative regulations to establish minimum standards and specifications for an alternative transportation plan; amend KRS 160.380 to require the driver of any non-school bus passenger vehicle authorized to transport students to and from school pursuant to the alternative transportation plan submit to an annual national and state criminal background check and clear CA/N check; require certain traffic offenses or arrests to be reported to the superintendent; amend KRS 156.990 to provide that an individual who operates a school bus or non-school bus passenger vehicle to transport a student or students without a current valid license to operate that motor vehicle within the Commonwealth shall be guilty of a Class D felony; EMERGENCY."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ky"
legislature: "Kentucky General Assembly"
session: "2024RS"
identifier: "HB 447"
citation: "Kentucky HB 447 (2024RS)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Administrative Regulations and Proceedings", "Background Checks", "Children and Minors", "Crimes and Punishments", "Education", "Elementary and Secondary", "Effective Dates", "Emergency", "State Agencies", "Transportation"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["B. Chester-Burton", "E. Callaway", "J. Bauman", "J. Hodgson", "J. Nemes", "K. Bratcher", "K. Herron", "R. Roarx"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 28
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2024-02-01T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2024-04-04T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/a9da7123-9cee-491d-ae44-1eb865958deb"
source_url: "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24RS/hb447.html"
source_hash: "1bf129feb5940f44e4c06ee76f8b65b4b18ab9a60d1d4a7ced90fad3b780f1c2"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ky"]
---

# Kentucky HB 447 (2024RS) — AN ACT relating to the transportation of students and declaring an emergency.

Amend KRS 156.153 to permit school districts to use district-owned, leased, or contracted passenger transportation vehicles to transport students to and from school and approved school activities under an alternative transportation plan approved by the Kentucky Department of Education; provide that vehicles shall be operated by an employee or contractor of local school district that is licensed to operate a motor vehicle within the Commonwealth; provide that the Kentucky Department of Education shall promulgate administrative regulations to establish minimum standards and specifications for an alternative transportation plan; amend KRS 160.380 to require the driver of any non-school bus passenger vehicle authorized to transport students to and from school pursuant to the alternative transportation plan submit to an annual national and state criminal background check and clear CA/N check; require certain traffic offenses or arrests to be reported to the superintendent; amend KRS 156.990 to provide that an individual who operates a school bus or non-school bus passenger vehicle to transport a student or students without a current valid license to operate that motor vehicle within the Commonwealth shall be guilty of a Class D felony; EMERGENCY.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/24RS/hb447/orig_bill.pdf)
2. **Acts Chapter 35** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/24RS/documents/0035.pdf)
3. **Current/Final** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/24RS/hb447/bill.pdf)

## Votes

- Final Passage — **pass** (pass) · lower
- PASS HB 447 W/ scs1 sfa2 — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Pass — **pass** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- B. Chester-Burton — primary (person)
- E. Callaway — primary (person)
- J. Bauman — primary (person)
- J. Hodgson — primary (person)
- J. Nemes — primary (person)
- K. Bratcher — primary (person)
- K. Herron — primary (person)
- R. Roarx — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-02-01T05:00:00+00:00** introduced in House `introduction`
- **2024-02-01T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (H) `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-08T05:00:00+00:00** to Education (H) `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-27T05:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-28T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2024-02-28T05:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Thursday, February 29, 2024
- **2024-03-01T05:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 92-1 with Committee Substitute (1) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-03-04T05:00:00+00:00** received in Senate
- **2024-03-04T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (S) `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-06T05:00:00+00:00** to Education (S) `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-07T05:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) `committee-passage`
- **2024-03-08T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2024-03-11T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Wednesday, March 13, 2024
- **2024-03-12T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute `amendment-introduction`
- **2024-03-13T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (2) filed to Committee Substitute `amendment-introduction`
- **2024-03-13T04:00:00+00:00** passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day `passage`
- **2024-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading `reading-3`
- **2024-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** Floor Amendment (1) withdrawn
- **2024-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** passed 38-0 with Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (2) `passage`
- **2024-03-15T04:00:00+00:00** received in House
- **2024-03-15T04:00:00+00:00** to Rules (H) `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Floor Amendment (2) and Committee Substitute (1)
- **2024-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** House concurred in Senate Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (2)
- **2024-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** passed 94-0 `passage`
- **2024-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House `passage`
- **2024-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by President of the Senate `passage`
- **2024-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** delivered to Governor
- **2024-04-04T04:00:00+00:00** signed by Governor (Acts Ch.35) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/a9da7123-9cee-491d-ae44-1eb865958deb`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).