New Jersey's school bus seat belt law should go national, Rep. Josh Gottheimer says
A New Jersey law requiring seat belts on school buses should be taken nationwide, Congressman Josh Gottheimer says.
New Jersey has required three-point lap and shoulder belts on all new school buses since 2018, but fewer than 10 other states have a similar mandate.
"Why wouldn't you have them in the school bus when you have to have them in your car every day? We know they save lives," Gottheimer said Monday.
Instead of letting states decide whether to require seat belts beyond passenger cars, the five-term House Democrat said it's time to make it a national standard.
"This just makes sense. If there's an accident, God forbid, you want to know your kid is wearing a belt," he said.
Reintroducing Miranda's Law
Gottheimer said he's also reintroducing Miranda's Law, a bill that would require real-time reporting of bus driver violations to school districts within 24 hours.
The bill is named after 10-year-old Miranda Vargas, who died in a school bus crash during a field trip in 2018. The crash also killed teacher Jennifer Williamson. Investigators found the bus driver had a history of traffic violations.
Joevanny Vargas, Miranda's father, joined lawmakers at Paramus School supporting the move for more school bus safety laws.
"If she were here today and she knew that another child was harmed or killed because of negligence that could have been prevented, she would be standing right beside me fighting just as hard," he said.
Sen. Cory Booker is backing Miranda's Law in the senate.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Vargas. This should have been done years ago. I take responsibility. I give you my deepest regret, but we have not stopped fighting," Booker said.
School bus seat belts don't come cheap
The cost of adding lap and shoulder belts to a school bus is not cheap.
School districts typically spend, at minimum, a few thousands dollars per bus outfitting their fleets. But supporters, including Vargas, say that's a small price compared to a child's life.
Gottheimer proposed similar bills before, but they never made it through Congress.
New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler has thrown in his support from across the aisle.
