Conn. lawmakers take up second school bus safety bill

HARTFORD, Conn. — A bill that would require a phone number posted on all sides of a school bus for reporting unsafe driving has been raised in the General Assembly session.

The bill (No. 5032) is the second dealing with school bus safety since a school bus crash Jan. 9 in which a high school student was killed. The first bill would require the installation of seat belts on school buses. To read SBF's report on the first bill, click here.

According to the second bill, commencing Jan. 1, 2011, a telephone number at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) where unsafe or illegal operation of a school bus may be reported must be conspicuously painted on the rear and sides of school buses. The DMV would notify the school bus company of any reported unsafe driving behavior and investigate each report.

The bill also increases fines for companies that break school bus safety laws. Fines for the first offense remain at $100 to $500, but for each subsequent offense, fines would amount to $500 to $1,000.

The Connecticut School Transportation Association opposes the bill, according to an article in the Hartford Courant.

The Assembly's transportation committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on both bills Wednesday.