JACKSON, Miss. — Senators on Friday passed a bill known as Nathan’s Law, which would require motorists to stay at least 10 feet from a stopped school bus. Violators could be fined up to $750 for a first offense and face a year in prison as well as a fine for a second offense.
The bill also prohibits the use of cell phones by school bus drivers while transporting children, except in emergencies, NECN reports.
The bill was named for Nathan Key, who was killed by a passing vehicle after exiting a school bus in Jones County. Key was 5-years-old when he died.
In 2010, legislators considered bills named in honor of Key but could not agree on concerns about setting penalties that might be weaker than those already in place for aggravated assault.
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