NEWS RELEASE
Rep. Jeff Brand
Minnesota House of Representatives
District 18A – 651-296-8634– rep.jeff.brand@house.mn.gov
501 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marlee Schlegel
651-296-9873 or marlee.schlegel@house.mn.gov
March 30, 2023
Minnesota House unanimously passes legislation to repeal school vehicle retirement requirement
SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Today, the Minnesota House passed legislation to repeal the requirement that type III public school vehicles, such as minivans and cars, be retired once they reach a certain age. Current state law requires these vehicles to be retired once they are 12 years old, regardless of if they are still in safe working order. The bill passed unanimously.
Rep. Jeff Brand (DFL – Saint Peter) authored the legislation and voted in support.
“Public school districts operate on tight budgets and can’t afford to replace perfectly fine vehicles, and frankly, replacing vehicles still in good shape is wasteful,” said Rep. Brand. “With supply chain issues making it harder to find affordable vehicles for schools to purchase, this requirement has placed an undue financial burden on school districts. This is a small thing we can do for our schools to have a significant positive impact on budgeting and planning.”
All school vehicles are subject to yearly safety inspections, and vehicles will only be allowed to continue being used if they pass inspections. In the Senate, the legislation has finished committee hearings and is awaiting action on the Senate Floor.
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