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Bus inspection reforms stall in Iowa legislature

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May 12th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Most Iowa lawmakers agree that changes need to be made to the state’s system for inspecting school buses, but it’s unlikely a bill will pass this year because lawmakers can’t agree on what should be done. A bill that would help close loopholes in the inspection system by requiring buses with serious problems to be re-inspected before returning to service passed the Iowa Senate on a 46-2 vote.

The Des Moines Register reports some lawmakers now want to shift bus inspections out of the Education Department and into the state Transportation Department. Republican Rep. Kevin Koester, of Ankeny, says school buses should get the same inspections commercial vehicles receive. But former lawmaker Mike Cormack, who works for the Education Department, says moving the inspections would only delay needed improvements.