Bills designed to keep school bus riders safe continue to advance in the Tennessee Legislature, with one measure requiring buses to have seat belts clearing another hurdle, according to WGNS Radio.
The bills came as a result of a deadly bus wreck in Chattanooga in November that killed six children and injured more than a dozen others.
On Tuesday, a House committee approved a measure that would require that all new school buses be equipped with seat belts. Some lawmakers have expressed concerns about restraints trapping children if the school bus caught on fire or was submerged in water.
Also, the House on Monday evening voted to pass a bill pushed by Gov. Bill Haslam that would require more oversight of school bus drivers. The measure still has to clear the Senate.
If the safety belt bill were to pass in the Government Operations committee it will go to the Finance, Ways, and Means committee, then to the Calendar and Rules committee, and then to the House floor for a vote before heading to Governor Haslam’s desk.
