Indiana Senate backs tougher law on passing stopped buses

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana drivers could face tougher penalties for passing stopped school buses under a bill advancing in the Legislature.

State senators voted 49-0 Monday in favor of the bill that would suspend the driver's license for 90 days the first time someone was convicted of recklessly passing a stopped bus. Other provisions would create felony offenses to recklessly pass a bus and injure or kill someone.

Relatives of three children fatally struck while crossing a northern Indiana highway have urged lawmakers to support the tougher penalties.

A 9-year-old girl and her twin 6-year-old brothers were killed in the Oct. 30 pre-dawn collision on Indiana 25 near Rochester. The driver who hit the children told authorities she didn't realize she was approaching a stopped bus.

The bill now goes to the House.