State Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Bethlehem, is pictured in the Senate chambers.

A state lawmaker wants to make several changes to the way Pennsylvania’s automated school bus stop-arm camera program operates.

State. Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Bethlehem, is circulating a co-sponsorship memorandum for legislation she says will deal with complaints from drivers in the Lehigh Valley who say implementation of the stop-arm camera enforcement program has created problems for drivers. LehighValleyNews.com reported earlier this year more than 1,000 drivers have appealed stop-arm camera citations in 2025 with no hearings held. The state DOT told the news agency that there are cases from 2024 that haven’t been heard yet. The state has eight hearing officers to hear appeals.

“In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to reform Pennsylvania’s automated school bus stop-arm camera enforcement program,” Boscola wrote in her co-sponsorship memorandum. “While the program’s purpose, protecting children near school buses, is critical, its implementation has raised serious concerns, particularly in the Lehigh Valley. A recent report found more than 1,000 appeals pending across area school districts, with some drivers waiting months without a hearing. One local Lehigh Valley resident, cited during a snowstorm, filed an appeal in December and still had no response by late spring.”

Boscola wants to establish a new penalty structure for stop-arm camera violations: $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $300 for a third or subsequent violation within a 12-month period. The bill will allow law enforcement to issue a $300 fine for egregious first-time violations, such as passing a stopped school bus at high speed or while children are visibly in the road.

Under current law, penalties for violating the stop-arm camera law include a $250 fine, $35 surcharge, 60-day license suspension and five points against the driver’s record. Violators captured by stop arm cameras see the fine increase to $300, which is distributed between the school district at $250, the overseeing police department at $25 and PennDOT at $25.

Boscola also wants to establish an appeals timeline so that cases are heard quickly.

This comes from numerous public complaints regarding appeals going unanswered for months on end,” Boscola wrote. “If appeals go unheard beyond the established timeline, the violation is deemed withdrawn, and no fine may be imposed. These changes will improve transparency, ensure timely hearings, and make the enforcement process more reasonable for drivers, while preserving the program’s essential goal of protecting students.”

The Warren County School District approved putting cameras on its buses in 2022. According to a PennDOT report released in December, there were 15 stop-arm camera violations involving Warren County School District buses in 2023. Only one of those violations was appealed, with the ticket upheld by the court. The local program imposed $4,245 in fines and collected $5,040.

According to statistics for 2023 released on Dec. 31, 2024, the 28 schools that returned reports – which includes Warren County – on their stop-arm cameras captured 24,085 violations on 1,776 school buses. Of the 28 schools that returned data, 10 had more than 1,000 violations, with between zero and 7% of those violations appealed. Of the challenges, 56% were overturned by the district magistrate hearing the appeal.

The program imposed $7,036,179 in fines, with $5,013,867 collected in 2023. Most of the money collected went to camera system operators ($3,823,497) followed by school districts ($527,464), local police departments ($422,309) and the school bus grant program ($405,417). The Warren County School District received no fine revenue in 2023, with the system administrator receiving $4,216, local police departments receiving $412 and the state School Bus Grant Program receiving $412.