The widow of a slain Tri-Cities bus driver wants to see a new Washington law protecting school bus passengers “go federal” after state lawmakers supported it earlier this year in rare bipartisan fashion.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed the Richard Lenhart Act into law in March, making it a gross misdemeanor to trespass on a school bus.
And while the law doesn’t take effect until July 2025, its most vocal supporter says its protections need to be expanded to every student and bus driver in the U.S.
“Going forward, it’s (all about) getting this to go federal,” said Nancy Lenhart, whose husband Dick Lenhart, 72, was stabbed and killed on his bus outside Longfellow Elementary School in 2021 while picking up students.
His attacker, who suffers from schizophrenia, is still awaiting trial.
Tri-City lawmakers, Pasco School District staff, labor leaders and city police on Thursday gathered inside the Richard L. Lenhart Transportation Center, at 3410 North Stearman Ave., for a belated celebration of the new law.
“This is the support I get all the time,” Lenhart told the Tri-City Herald, gesturing to a room full of bus drivers and police. “They help give me the strength to keep doing this, and I do this for them, for the students and everyone else.”
Lenhart characterized her mission as “an adventure” – or, more specifically, a bus ride – to increase school transportation safety and transform the law to increase penalties for bus trespassers.
“That’s the ride we’re on. But my bus is turquoise, it’s not yellow,” she joked.
WA bus safety
Washington became the ninth state in the nation to create criminal penalties for bus trespassing.
Before then, no criminal offense existed for bus trespassing, although there are laws barring vehicle prowling and burglary.
About 8,000 school buses are on the road every day transporting students to and from schools.
During the 2024 legislative session, the bill received near-unanimous bipartisan support from Democratic and Republican lawmakers. The state House passed it Feb. 27 in a 97-0 floor vote, and the Senate approved amendments and final passage in a 49-0 floor vote on March 4.
The first draft of the bill made the offense a more serious crime. But Democrats, which hold majorities in both the House and Senate, reportedly pushed back on making it a class C felony, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Lawmakers found a common middle ground, agreeing to make it a gross misdemeanor.
“The political climate is taking away effective law enforcement,” said state Rep. Mark Klicker, R-Walla Walla, who sponsored the bill in the House. “It softens it and we knew that was probably going to be the case here.”
The new law includes exceptions for police officers, individuals with written permission to enter a bus and it it’s an emergency situation to save a passenger’s life.
Klicker on Thursday called Nancy Lenhart “a hero” for her work to get the legislation passed. He also acknowledged Richard’s heroic actions in fending off an attacker who was trying to harm children.
“Sometimes we see – and I’m a firm believer of this – blessings in our sufferings,” he said.
Klicker told the Tri-City Herald he believes the new law is strong and could be a foundation for federal lawmakers to build on.
But it will depend on the political will of Congress. Klicker said he saw the Washington Legislature come together around this law in very rare fashion, and it may not be the same result at the U.S. Capitol.
“I would hope it could become a federal law,” the Walla Walla lawmaker said. “It’s a challenge. But when you have someone like Mrs. Lenhart, she isn’t going to let anything stop her. She’s going to make it happen.”
Lenhart says a Missouri organization she’s been working with may take the lead on the work and find a congress memberto be a prime sponsor for the legislation.
“They’re going to use this law as a template and hopefully it can be more than just nine states out of 50 to have protection like this,” Lenhart said. “It’s going to take a little longer than nine months for this, but that’s OK. I’ve got 23 years to get this stuff done because next week I’m having my 77th birthday.”
2021 bus attack
The deadly Pasco attack sent shock waves through the Tri-Cities community and sparked an outpouring of support for the family of the beloved man who drove Route 4.
The Lenharts had been married for 40 years and the incident turned Nancy Lenhart into an activist for bus driver safety.
Her husband was picking up students after school to take them home on Sept. 24, 2021, when Joshua Davis, 36, approached the bus.
Davis boarded the bus to ask if it was going to stop at a particular intersection, according to court documents.
When Lenhart said it wasn’t, Davis turned and started to leave. But security camera video shows Davis turn back toward Lenhart, took out a knife from his pocket and stabbed him.
Davis jumped off the bus, threw the knife onto the ground and told school officials, “I’m the assailant.” He didn’t flee, instead waiting for police to arrive.
None of the 35 children on board were threatened or injured
A Washington state psychologist’s findings contradict another psychologist hired by the defense who concluded that Davis’ schizophrenia made him unable to understand the consequences of his actions.
Another hearing is set for May 28 to determine if he can go to trial.
