A legislative committee this week approved a bill that would require idling school buses to turn off their engines the moment they arrive at campuses and start them just before they leave.
Senate Bill 124 by Sen. Jenny Oropeza, D-Long Beach, cleared the Assembly Transportation Committee, according to her spokesman, Ray Sotero.
The bill would require school bus drivers to turn off their engines after arriving within 100 feet of a school and forbid them from restarting engines more than 30 seconds before departure.
SB 124 allows drivers exemptions when buses idle in traffic, must accommodate disabled children, when climate control systems are needed to heat or cool buses, and when turning off engines interfere with safety operations.
"Children are the most susceptible to the health effects of air pollution because of their immature immune systems and developing organs," Oropeza said in a statement. "Exposure to toxic air contaminants during infancy or childhood could affect the development of the respiratory, nervous, endocrine and immune systems and could increase the risk of cancer later in life."
The bill now goes to the Assembly floor. The Senate has already approved it.
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