Anyone convicted of a sexual crime against children will be banned from becoming a school bus driver in New York under a new law.
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the law on Tuesday. It expands the list of crimes, to include sexual assault of a child and possessing child pornography, to disqualify candidates from becoming school bus drivers.
The existing law, which dates from 1985 according to a spokesman for the governor, disqualified people convicted of crimes including murder, rape and arson.
The new law will take effect in about six months.
"This law will protect our children by making sure those convicted of sexual offenses and other serious crimes are disqualified from becoming school bus drivers," Cuomo said in a statement.
Commercial bus companies and drivers have already found themselves under increased scrutiny as part of a crackdown ordered by the governor in the wake of a March 12 bus accident in which a tour bus heading to New York City from a Connecticut casino crashed on a Bronx highway, killing 15 passengers.
Other crimes under the new law that will mean either a five-year or permanent disqualification include selling drugs on or near school grounds, killing a police officer and sex trafficking.
Under the old law, a person convicted of either killing someone through reckless driving or promoting prostitution was disqualified from becoming a school bus driver for five years. Those convictions now carry a permanent disqualification.