Seat Belts on School Buses Bill to be Introduced

Next month, state lawmakers will head back to Nashville for the start of the legislative session.
One of the big topics expected to be talked about is putting seat belts on new school buses following the deadly Woodmore crash.
The bill was previously pulled.
Over the summer, State Representative JoAnne Favors (D-Chattanooga) went to a seat belt safety summit in Westfield, Indiana.
Favors plans to reintroduce her bill for the upcoming legislative session. It would put seat belts on new school buses after July of 2019.
She’s been working with Tom Lee of Civic Point, which is a lobbying group, and nearly two dozen other state lawmakers to get the proposal passed.
The idea has its critics. Some reference extreme situations like a school bus catching fire or going underwater as reasons why seat belts should stay off of buses.
Cost has been the other concern brought up by opponents.
The state and local school systems would share an estimated cost of $15 million per year.
When the bill is reintroduced, it will start in the House Finance, Ways and Means Subcommittee. If it passes, it’ll head to the full House Finance Committee and then the House floor.
The General Assembly will reconvene at noon CST on Tuesday, January 9, 2018.