A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide additional methods for proving that a stopped vehicle passed by another motor vehicle is a "school bus" subject to the provisions of G.S. 20‑217, and to provide grants for the purchase and installation of Automated camera and video recording systems on school buses.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 20‑217(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	For the purpose of this section, the term "school bus" includes a public school bus transporting children or school personnel, a public school bus transporting senior citizens under G.S. 115C‑243, or a privately owned school bus transporting children. The following shall be prima facie evidence that a vehicle was a school bus, as defined in this section and Chapter, at the time of a violation of subsection (a) of this section:
(1)	A certified copy of a record from the Division showing the vehicle was registered as a school bus at the time of the violation of subsection (a) of this section. A certified copy of a record under this subdivision shall be admissible as evidence without further authentication.
(2)	Testimony from the school bus driver, a passenger on the school bus, or the law enforcement officer investigating the violation of subsection (a) of this section."
SECTION 2.(a)  Grant. – Notwithstanding G.S. 143C‑5‑2, there is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of seven hundred thousand dollars ($700,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2015‑2016 fiscal year to allocate to local boards of education for the purpose of purchasing and installing automated camera and video recording systems on school buses. The Department of Public Instruction shall develop a policy to prioritize the allocation of funds under this section.
SECTION 2.(b)  Match Required. – A grant provided pursuant to this section shall be matched on the basis of one dollar ($1.00) in grant funds for every two dollars ($2.00) in nongrant funds. Matching funds shall not include other State funds. The Department of Public Instruction shall not provide a grant under this section until the grantee provides evidence satisfactory to the Commission that the grantee has sufficient nongrant funds to match.
SECTION 2.(c)  Guidelines. – The Department of Public Instruction shall develop guidelines and procedures for the administration and distribution of grants under this section.
SECTION 3.  Section 2 of this act becomes effective July 1, 2015. The remainder of this act becomes effective October 1, 2015, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.