Washington one of many states eyeing school bus seat belts

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A bill that would require school buses to have seat belts is being considered by lawmakers in Washington, one of more than a dozen states where school seat belt measures is on the legislative agenda this year.

The Senate Transportation Committee is scheduled to hear Senate Bill 5054 Tuesday afternoon. It would mandate that all public and private school buses purchased after the bill takes effect have a safety belt for each rider.

The National Conference of State Legislatures says California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and Texas have existing variations of a seat belt law for school buses. And at least 17 states, including Washington, have introduced legislation regarding seat belts on school buses in the 2017 sessions.