A local representative’s bill to help ease the bus driver shortage in the state has passed the Illinois House.
State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer’s bill helps out an applicant who may have had their license suspended for a specific reason but is now back in good standing and wishes to drive a school bus. Davidsmeyer said during floor debate that the situation came up in his district and a person was turned away over issues due to unpaid child support. He says the chamber has a recent history of passing bills that alleviates penalizing people for the rest of their life for something they did in their past: “This gentleman has since fully paid up his child support, but the law currently says that you have to have had your driver’s license for the 3 years prior to be able to drive a bus.”
Davidsmeyer says that the bill will require someone to have their child support fully paid off or in a payment plan to secure bus driver employment: “A payment program allows them to pay the back child support and continue to work towards continuing to pay that child support.”
HB4230 was approved 99-1, with 25th District Democrat Curtis Tarver as the lone no vote. The bill now heads to the Senate for their consideration.