Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R,C,Ref-Mahopac) voted to pass a bill (A.4950A) to enhance school bus safety in New York on Tuesday, March 19.
Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R,C,Ref-Mahopac) is pleased to announce the passage of a bill (A.4950A) which would create a program to allow local governments to place cameras on school buses in order to hold drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses displaying flashing red lights and stop signs accountable for their actions. Funding for the cameras would initially come from local municipalities and be reimbursed through any fines collected. Byrne spoke in favor of the bill on the Assembly floor before voting to pass the legislation on Tuesday, March 19.
“Reckless drivers who put the lives of our children at risk should be held accountable for their actions,” said Byrne. “I applaud and would like to thank Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, the chairman for the Committee on Transportation, for drafting and introducing this legislation to address this important non-partisan issue. Earlier this year, I called for a similar proposal as co-chair of the Assembly Minority Task Force on Critical Infrastructure & Transportation in our task force report. I am delighted to see the Assembly moving forward in an effort to protect our children. In the past year alone, there have been a number of reports documented where people continued to blow past stopped school buses, threatening the lives of students who were trying to cross the street.”
“We always talk about the health and safety of our students and this legislation allows us to better protect our students by allowing districts to install cameras to enforce the importance of bus safety for our students,” said Anthony Dicarlo, Mahopac school superintendent. “This legislation is long overdue and I thank the Assembly for making the safety of students a priority.”