New York’s Senate is pushing a bill that would require criminal background checks for drivers of tour and charter buses.

The bill is a reaction to tour bus crashes in New York and other states that prompted spot checks that revealed dozens of drivers were holding licenses under aliases while others had past criminal convictions.

Republican Sen. Charles Fuschillo of Long Island says all new bus drivers would have to submit to criminal background checks and the backgrounds of current drivers would be reviewed when they renew their commercial driver’s license.

School bus drivers already face those background checks. A bus returning from a Connecticut casino crashed in the Bronx in March, killing 15 people.

The Democrat-led Assembly is considering the bill.

(Source: WABC)