The Utah Department of Transportation is expected to finalize regulations this summer on the new external school bus advertising law that would restrict the billboards to the left side of the vehicle to address safety concerns.

"A lot of the input, including from our office and from the Highway Patrol office, was that [ads] would definitely impact the safety and have the potential of distracting kids as they are loading and unloading," said Murrell Martin, the state director of transportation with the Utah Department of Education. "We hope that will come through. We feel if [advertising] is done, it shouldn't affect the safety on the right side of the bus."

Per the new law, a standard must be developed as to the size and placement of ads that could result in increased revenue for school districts to use to off-set budget cuts. UDOT consults with the Department of Education and the Highway Patrol any time regulations pertaining to school buses vehicle are adopted or updated. Once the bus advertising policy is finalized, school boards or charter school governing boards may adopt guidelines for age- and content-appropriate ads to raise additional revenue for a school district's or charter school's general fund. The ads could contain no messages of a sexual nature and could not promote gambling or alcohol, tobacco or drug use.

Jordan School District South of Salt Lake City led the support of the bill. Martin added that two other Salt Lake City-area school districts, Granite and Murray, have also indicated interest in pursuing a school bus ad revenue program. But also according to Martin, other school districts statewide have expressed to him that they "absolutely" do not plan to implement school bus ads because of safety concerns.

HB 199 was passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert in March.