NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Senate on Monday took final action on Gov. Bill Haslam's bill imposing new training and reporting requirements regarding school bus transportation.
Senators unanimously approved the , which previously was passed by the House. It represents Haslam's approach to problems raising by the deadly Nov. 21 crash of a Hamilton County school bus in which six Woodmore Elementary School children died and more than two dozen other students were injured.
Unlike Rep. JoAnne Favors' bill, which would require new school buses ordered or purchased as of July 1, 2019, come equipped with seat belts, Haslam's approach was more regulatory in nature.
Among other provisions, Haslam's bill requires the state to create training programs for school bus drivers and raises the minimum driver's age from 21 to 25. It also requires local systems to move more quickly on complaints about drivers, an issue in the Hamilton County school bus crash.
Meanwhile, Favors, a Chattanooga Democrat, is scheduled to come before the House Government Operations Committee later this afternoon.
Her approach has drawn opposition from some school bus drivers and concerns about costs to local school systems.
The Government Operations Committee issues positive or negative recommendations on legislation. But it cannot kill a bill. However, a negative recommendation could create additional problems for Favors when the bill later goes to the House Budget Subcommittee.
Earlier this morning, the House Administration and Planning Committee approved yet another bill stemming from the school bus crash in the Brainerd section of Chattanooga.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Courney Rogers, R-Goodlettesville, adds more traffic offenses, including excessive speeding and reckless driving, to the state's list of infractions that bar would-be drivers from getting state certification.