Question: What Are Your Thoughts on the New School Bus Driver Law?

According to an article in the New York Times, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation on Tuesday that will make it harder for individuals convicted of past crimes to drive school buses.

The law—which will take effect in 180 days—will add convictions for 26 felonies as an automatic and permanent ban from school bus driving, including several sex crimes like predatory sexual assault and disseminating indecent materials to minors. After Tuesday, a total of 58 offenses are justification for not allowing a person to drive a school bus.

The last passed also “makes the ban permanent rather than temporary for those convicted of vehicular manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide or promoting prostitution,” the article reads.

Tuesday was the culmination of a rather short process by which this bill was passed as law, as it was first pushed for by Member of the New York Association for Pupil Transportation and Transportation Director at the Onteora Central School District David Moraca. One month later, Republican State Senator John J. Bonacic introduced the bill in the Senate. According to the article in the New York Times, prior to Tuesday “the laws governing criminal background checks for prospective bus drivers had not been updated since 1986.”