ST. PAUL, Minn. — A bill is progressing in the state Legislature that would amend a current law regarding child passenger restraint systems on vehicles with factory-installed seat belts.

SF 2415 and its companion bill, HF 3080, would add an exemption for school buses to the law, which requires children under the age of 8 and who are shorter than 4 feet 9 inches to be fastened in restraint systems, such as booster seats, while they are being transported in vehicles with seat belts.

The exemption, which was sought by the Minnesota Association for Pupil Transportation and other organizations, would apply to school buses and Type III vehicles manufactured to meet federal occupant crash protection safety standards.

(Type III vehicles are classified as motor vehicles that are used to transport pupils to or from school or school-related activities; carry a maximum of 10 people, including the driver; and weigh 10,000 pounds or less.)

The bill has passed in the state Senate and is undergoing a second reading in the House.