Senator Anna M. Kaplan Passes Measure Protecting Children and Promoting School Bus Safety

(Albany, NY) -- Today, the NY State Senate passed legislation sponsored by Senator Anna M. Kaplan (D-Great Neck) that promotes school bus safety as part of the Senate Majority's larger effort to address dangerous and unlawful behavior by drivers that put the safety of students at risk.

Senator Anna M. Kaplan said, “As lawmakers, we have a solemn duty to ensure that we take every step necessary to ensure the safety of the children in our communities. So when we have a situation where an estimated 40,000 drivers in New York are illegally passing school buses each day, we have a crisis on our hands that demands attention. That’s why I’m proud to sponsor legislation that will ensure that driver education and licensing exams ensure that drivers in this state understand the laws on school bus safety.”

The school bus safety legislation advanced by the Senate Majority today includes:

• School Bus Safety Violation Increase: S3558A increases the penalties for illegally overtaking and passing a stopped school bus.
• School Bus Safety Drivers Education: S2960, sponsored by Senator Anna M. Kaplan, adds a school bus safety component to the pre-licensing driver's education course.
• School Bus Education Fund: S4385 provides for the transfer of a portion of fines issued for illegally passing a school bus to the comprehensive school bus driver safety-training program for the study and promotion of issues involving school bus safety and establishes a school bus motorist education fund.
   

“Reckless drivers who ignore and break school bus safety laws endanger the lives of our children,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. “Increasing penalties and education around school bus safety measures is an important step to ensure that our communities are safer and young people’s lives are not put at risk. I applaud the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, Senator Kennedy, along with Senator Kaplan and Senator Parker, for leading the fight on this important safety issue.”