(Albany, NY)- State Senator John J. Bonacic (R/C/I-Mt. Hope) announced today that his bill, S.1064, which would increase penalties for passing a stopped school bus has passed the Senate.

The bill would enhance current penalties for passing a stopped school bus by adding a sixty-day suspension of an individual’s driver’s license when a holder is convicted two or more times of passing a stopped school bus within a period of ten years.

Current law provides that an individual convicted two or more times of speeding in a construction zone be subject to a sixty-day suspension of his or her driver’s license, but does not provide the same penalty for passing a stopped school bus two or more times.

“This bill is intended to make our roads safer for our school children,” said Senator Bonacic. “Anyone who puts the lives of our school children in jeopardy should be punished accordingly. I urge my colleagues in the Assembly to bring this bill to the floor and pass it so we can ensure that our kids are safe when they leave for school.”

The bill has been sent to the Assembly for consideration.