Wisconsin senator urges school bus seat belt legislation
Retiring Sen. Tim Cullen asks colleagues to continue working toward mandating seat belts in new school buses after his bill fell short of making it to the Senate floor for a vote last session. The president of the Wisconsin School Bus Association testified against Cullen's bill during a hearing late last year.
MADISON, Wis. — Earlier this month, retiring Sen. Tim Cullen (D-Janesville) sent a letter to colleagues in the state capitol asking them to continue working toward mandating seat belts in school buses, CBS 58 News reports.
Cullen’s bill, which would have required new school buses to be equipped with seat belts, fell short of making it to the Senate floor for a vote last session, according to the news outlet. Cullen pointed to a Sept. 2 accident involving a school bus that happened in Pulaski and sent six high school volleyball players to the hospital as an example of why seat belts should be on school buses, CBS 58 News reports, and said many parents assume there are seat belts in school buses.
However, the Wisconsin School Bus Association disagrees. Jim Fey, the organization’s president, testified against Cullen's bill during a hearing late last year, according to the news outlet.
The Janesville School District is the only district in the state with a mandate requiring it to buy new buses equipped with seat belts. That was adopted in 2009 when Cullen served on the school board, according to CBS 58 News.
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