Lawmakers say they share parents' outrage over video showing 10,000 drivers illegally passing Bridgeport buses.
Now, they want to change state laws so it's easier for cities and towns to crack down.
“We want to make sure that no child’s life is lost,” Sen. Herron Gaston (D-Bridgeport) said.
The bill would allow towns to pass their own rules against passing buses, which would make it a civil violation, not criminal.
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Right now, violators risk jail time if they skip a court date. Gaston said municipalities, on the other hand, can create a process that gets more violators to pay their fines.
The bill would also allow municipalities to keep the money for various school safety-related purposes, including cameras.
“Clearly whatever is being enforced isn’t enough, it's not enough of a deterrent,” Sen. Paul Cicarella (R-North Haven) said.
Video from Bridgeport highlighted the problem, but parents say they see it happening all over the state.
“It gets on my nerves, because I have a five-year-old,” Hartford resident Derek Hall said.
State law limits municipal ordinances to a maximum of a $250 fine, which is lower than the current minimum fine of $400 for illegally passing a school bus.
