HB 487 - Gabby's Law for School Bus Stop Safety

• Reclassifies passing a school bus on the side children enter/exit as reckless driving (instead of moving violation) when the bus displays a stop signal, subject to mandatory hearing under s. 318.19.

• Reduces civil penalty for failing to stop for a school bus from $250 to $100 minimum, with driver license suspension of 90 days to 6 months for second or subsequent offense within 5 years (previously 6 months to 1 year).

• Establishes $65 additional penalty for violations of s. 316.172(1)(a) or (b), remitted to Department of Revenue for deposit into the Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund.

• Adds $5 surcharge to reckless driving fines under s. 316.192 for deposit into the Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund.

• Distributes collected trauma-related penalties to verified trauma centers: 30% to public hospital Level II trauma centers, 35% based on caseload volume, and 35% based on patient severity.

• Takes effect October 1, 2015.