SACRAMENTO (AP) — California’s governor is approving stricter safety standards for charter and school buses following high-profile incidents.
Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown announced Tuesday that he signed three bus-safety bills.
One enacts National Transportation Safety Board charter bus safety recommendations that Congress has not adopted. Democratic Sen. Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens introduced the change after a bus carrying high school students to Humboldt State University collided with a tractor-trailer, killing eight bus passengers and both drivers.
Brown also signed a bill by Democratic Sen. Tony Mendoza of Artesia requiring new safety equipment on school buses to prevent children from being left unattended.
A third bill gives the California Highway Patrol stronger authority to inspect charter-bus terminals and order potentially dangerous buses out of service.