The Wyoming Senate gave initial approval to a bill that would place cameras on school buses. The idea is to capture motorists who illegally pass buses while they are stopped. The bill allocates $5 million to purchase and install the cameras, an expense the Senate Appropriations Committee opposed. Senate Appropriations Chairman Eli Bebout suggested that money be spent on prevention and not enforcement. Education Chairman Hank Coe, of Cody, says prevention hasn't worked.
"It's well known that if you are adult and you’re are paying attention to what you are supposed to know, you don't pass a school bus. But we are still having it. About 50-thousand last year in the state, up in my little district in northwest Wyoming we are having about 70 a week. So the real preventative measure is to put the cameras on there."
The Senate voted to restore the $5 million. Supporters say the legislation will enhance safety for school children. The bill will be debated by the Senate two more times.
