House Bill 1690 Summary

• Repeals the state motor vehicle safety inspection program for most vehicles, effective January 1, 2011, eliminating biennial inspection requirements that previously applied to registered vehicles.

• Establishes mandatory annual safety inspections for school buses conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, including checks of mirrors, warning flashers, stop signal arms, emergency exits, seats, and other child safety equipment.

• Requires school bus inspections to occur after February 1st of each school year, with bus owners having 10 days to correct any deficiencies found during inspection or immediately ceasing operation if an immediate danger is identified.

• Makes violations of school bus inspection requirements a Class C misdemeanor, while designating violations of general vehicle inspection regulations as infractions.

• Authorizes the State Highway Patrol superintendent to assign qualified non-officer personnel as motor vehicle inspectors with limited authority to issue citations for violations of school bus inspection laws.