STATEHOUSE (Jan. 20, 2026) — State Rep. Cindy Ledbetter (R-Newburgh) recently authored legislation that would allow school corporations to display commercial advertising on school buses, providing districts an optional tool to support school operations.
House Bill 1059 would allow school districts to display limited commercial advertising on school buses under locally adopted guidelines.
“House Bill 1059 gives school districts the ability to sell commercial advertising space on their school buses as long as they adopt policies prohibiting inappropriate advertisements,” Ledbetter said. “This is an innovative opportunity that other states have used to improve their schools, letting them use existing resources as a new revenue stream.”
Under the bill, advertisements would adhere to several restrictions. Each school bus could display no more than two advertisements, each measuring up to 36 inches in height by 90 inches in width, including borders and framing. Advertisements must also feature black text on a white background and may not cover structurally important areas or cause damage to the bus. School corporations could impose other restrictions as they determine what advertising is appropriate.
Similar laws allowing school bus advertising are already in place in several states, including Arizona, Texas and California. These states have used revenue generated from school bus advertising to support teacher pay increases, purchase instructional materials, address facility maintenance needs and offset rising transportation costs such as fuel.
House Bill 1059 was referred to the House Education Committee for consideration. To learn more about the bill and follow session, visit iga.in.gov.
Another distraction for drivers.