State lawmakers are weighing changes to New York’s seat belt laws in response to a deadly tour bus crash upstate that killed five people.

The architects of a 2024 law requiring that most passengers on a charter bus wear seat belts or face fines say they’re open to bolstering seat belt usage, potentially through some sort of announcement at the start of a trip or signage on board.

"We've all been on these charter buses, whether for school trips or otherwise, and someone may say something, someone may not, but there's no bus monitor, there's no camera, there's no police officer walking down the aisle to make sure that you click it," said State Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) who sponsored the 2024 law and chairs the Senate transportation committee.

Assemb. William Magnarelli (D-Syracus

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