Congressman Charlie Crist reintroduces school bus seat belt requirement bill

A Florida lawmaker is taking his call for school bus safety to the national level, and is pushing a new measure to make sure every student is buckled up on a school bus.

Rep. Charlie Crist reintroduced a measure called, the "Best to Use Safety Belts Act." The bill would require all new buses to be equipped with seat belts. 

The measure would also provide grants to upgrade existing buses.

He initially proposed the bill in 2017, but it didn't gain enough support to advance. 

The proposal, which is cosponsored by Steve Cohen (D-TN) follows a recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board that all new buses be equipped with safety belts. 

“Installing seat belts on school buses nationwide is a common sense, simple fix to secure the safety of the millions of students whose families rely on the bus to get their children to and from school,” said Rep. Crist in a statement. “Districts across Florida have seen the benefits of safety belts on school buses, and now it’s time that students in communities across the country are protected. I thank the NSC for continuing to lend their support to this legislation and look forward to seeing safety belts on school buses become the law of the land.”