ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The Democrat-controlled state Assembly has approved legislation that would allow cameras to be mounted on school buses to catch motorists who illegally pass them while students are boarding or getting off.
The bill sponsored by Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, a Syracuse Democrat, passed 146-0 on Tuesday.
The legislation would allow the installation of cameras on the stop arms that extend from school buses when the vehicles stop to pick up or drop off passengers. Drivers caught on camera passing a stopped bus would face a $250 fine.
The legislation is sponsored in the Democrat-controlled Senate by Sen. Tim Kennedy, a Buffalo Democrat who's chairman of his chamber's transportation committee. Kennedy's office says the measure will be brought up for a vote in the Senate after the state budget is passed.
