The medical examination will be prescribed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education instead of the Department of Revenue. The provision of current law that allows applicants younger than 70 years of age to renew operator's permits every 3 years remains unchanged. The substitute also denies public school bus operator's permits to applicants who have pled guilty or been found guilty of specified felonies or misdemeanors. Current law only denies permits to applicants who have been convicted of these crimes. Offenses involving the endangerment of a child, weapons offenses, and drug offenses are added to those specified felonies or misdemeanors that permanently disqualify a person from receiving a permit.
Current law related to the issuance of temporary school bus operator's permits is unchanged.
Either the Department of Social Services or the Missouri Highway Patrol will provide the record or denial of clearance of a school bus permit application within 5 days of the date requested, instead of within 30 days as current law dictates. The Highway Patrol is authorized to obtain any information from the FBI that might aid in providing the record or denial of clearance. This restriction will be noted on the school bus permit of the person and it will be unlawful for the person to operate a school bus upon any public highway of this state, unless he or she is at the time complying with the restriction. Any school bus currently used to transport children in a Head Start program may bear markings indicating that it is a school bus. This substitute has an emergency clause.