Bill Proposes Stiffer Penalties for School Bus Trespassing

One of the first bills proposed in reaction to the Connecticut school shootings would strengthen penalties for trespassing on Alabama school buses.

The bill pre-filed by Republican Senator Cam Ward of Alabaster would establish a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison if convicted.

The bill would make it a crime for an unauthorized adult to board a school bus. The bill also would make it a crime to vandalize a bus or to enter a bus for the purpose of doing damage. Ward says the proposed law would make it harder for someone to harm children on a school bus.

Ward says there is currently very little penalty for an unauthorized adult entering a school bus.