Senator O'Brien keeping our school buses safe

ALBANY, N.Y. – With Sen. O’Brien’s yes vote, the State Senate passed legislation yesterday closing a loophole that allowed those convicted of crimes against children and sexual and drug-related crimes to serve as bus monitors.

“With this simple, common-sense legislation, we’ve made concrete gains in protecting our children from potential predators,” O’Brien said. “It was an unfortunate loophole, since existing restrictions on people convicted of those types of crimes only applied to bus drivers. I was proud to stand with my colleagues and update our laws to keep children on school buses safe.”

The bill, number S883, also adds an additional restriction on bus drivers. Those who have a conviction for violating Leandra’s Law, which involves driving while intoxicated with a passenger under the age of 16 in the vehicle, are now automatically disqualified from driving a school bus for at least five years after their conviction. The bill will now move from the Senate to the Assembly.

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For more information, see the sponsor’s memo and full text of the bill:
http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S883-2013

Sen. O’Brien represents the 55th district in the Senate, which is made up of the eastern half of Monroe County and the western half of Ontario County, including much of the city of Rochester.

Media contact:

Thomas J. Morrisey
Communications Director
office: (585) 223-1800
e-mail: tjmorris@nysenate.gov