Parents deserve the confidence of knowing that their children will be safe from the moment they step onto the bus in the morning until they return home in the afternoon. But far too often we read about stories about young children who have been abandoned on empty school buses -- or about unqualified drivers whose erratic behavior threatens the well-being of young, helpless children.

Improving school bus safety is a top priority . That is why I am  pushing a school bus safety legislative package which will soon pass in the Senate and hopefully pass in the Assembly.

Each of the 12 bills would significantly enhance the safety of children who ride school buses. One bill would end the practice of allowing "standees" on school buses. It just makes sense that children would be safer in an accident if they are seated rather than filling the aisles of moving school buses.

A second bill would require a study by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Council to determine if New York should require students to wear seat belts on buses. A older initiative required school districts to set their own policies on seat belts, but it’s past time to determine if we need a standardized rule for the entire state.

A third measure would make sure that young children are not left on an empty bus. Too many times we hear about a child who fell asleep and was mistakenly left on their bus. This bill would simply, but strictly, require school bus drivers to check their buses before parking.

Other bills would require criminal checks for all school bus attendants, just like the checks currently in place for school bus drivers, mandate a "refresher" course for all school bus drivers, and help ensure that drug- and alcohol-abusing drivers are never allowed behind the wheel of a school bus.