ST. PAUL, Minn. (May 27, 2008) — Minnesota will have its first office exclusively responsible for pupil transportation safety following a transportation omnibus bill signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Friday.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed Minnesota's first office of pupil transportation into law.

The law mirrors recommendations made by the state Office of the Legislative Auditor in a report published earlier this year that upbraided some districts’ transportation practices. A yet-to-be-named pupil transportation safety director will oversee all Department of Public Safety activities related to school buses, including assisting in development and implementation of laws, developing a school bus inspection manual, developing a best practices guide for contractors, developing a record keeping system for school districts, and conducting periodic audits of district background checks, license checks and drug and alcohol checks.

According to Sen. Rick Olseen, who introduced an early version of the bill, the new director of pupil transportation will report to Cpt. Ken Urquhart, who previously served in effect as the state’s pupil transportation director while also heading the commercial motor vehicle division of the Department of Safety. The new department will have three additional state troopers and a minimum of 15 school bus inspectors who will perform annual and spot inspections of school buses and Head Start buses as required by law.

At the soonest, the new office may not fully open until August of next year. Sen. Olseen said the state is already short on state troopers and will wait for the latest class of 40 cadets to graduate from the academy rather than pull troopers from their current duties.

Representatives from both the state pupil transportation contractor’s association and the pupil district transportation association applauded the move.

“We’re excited. I think it gives the message that (the governor) views student safety as something serious,” Minnesota School Bus Operator’s Association Executive Director Shelly Jonas said.

Earlier this year, Minnesota followed other audit recommendations, requiring drivers of pupil transportation vehicles that are not school buses to undergo physical examinations, background checks, drug and alcohol testing, and safety training, including a prohibition of using cell phones while driving.